Mikhaïl Grona, Alchemist and Herbalist, new research notebook.

First entry, Moonday, first of Dorbuary, 1427 Keln Calendar.

I’m starting a new book for registring my researches, the previous one has been lost during my travels.

Anyway, as I have a new subject of study it is normal to start a new book to report my findings. As I am in a new laboratory and exclusively working for a single patron and his organization (Blood Sand Karim al-Ayub, leader of the Blood Sand Bandits) I will keep the inventory and normal events of the lab in a separate book. This book will be reserved for researching the plant I found. Subject of study: Mysterious plant found in the desert four days ago, three days of travel from Wadrabak, Keln. Plant found thanks to my lvl 41 Skill ‘Herbalist intuition’. Marking the plant as highly interesting. Skill leveled after finding plant (now lvl 42). Increasing interest in the plant. Plant has 6 Skills despite low lvl (13). See full Status lower. Plant possesses a secondary Skill (Thorn). Primary Skill (Growth) common addition, but highly irregular in low-lvl specimens. Inadequate high lvl of primary Skill (20+). Plant is showing abnormal characteristics (nephentes style bug trap) (stolon) for location (desert).

Normally found in humid or (at least temperate) climate.

Plant grows exceptionally fast for Class lvl, but coherent with assumed lvl of Skill ‘Growth’. Plant possesses high amount of weak poison widely infused in structure (Skill low lvl but present for long time?). Plant possesses high amount of dull thorns (new Skill?). Plant grows a reservoir organ in the shape of a Human erect penis (engineered?).

Hypothesis:

Subject engineered by high lvl Herbalist/Horticulturist/other’s laboratory, seed ‘escaped’ (bird eating fruit? seed entangled in animal fur?), and sprouted in desert by luck. Subject engineered by high lvl Herbalist/Horticulturist/other’s laboratory and planted in the desert for experimentation. Random mutation. Subject sprouted from higher and unknown parent. Subject some kind of predator.

Tests:

Attraction of the subject to blood (cut hand in planter, compare root speed growth to determine). Severed reservoir organ to test speed of regrowth. Made Test Subject 1 (Akim) eat cooked reservoir organ part. Planted parts of reservoir organ to test regrowth from it. (Mix between tests 1 and 4.) Installment of one severed hand above one of the severed parts to test differentiation of speed of growth.

If tests successful:

5. Change dietary apports. 3. 4. 5. Cultivate the plant for more experimentation and providing food to kitchen for budget raise. Make TS1 eat raw part, then other cooking variance. Try same on Damian.

Subject Status:

Racial Class: Grass - Level 13

- Growth

- Thorn

- Photosynthesis

- Phytohormones secretion

- Poisonous

- Strengthen structure

---

Klonday, the second day of the week, was a slow day at the lab.

Mikhaïl was preparing health potions with the assistance of the two slaves under him. The morning had passed quickly, it was too soon to look at the plant, it would need a few days to grow and allow for noteworthy observations.

Akim, the man tied on the table, was in a state of shock. His eyes were open but only looking at empty space in front of him. Mikhaïl didn’t care, as long as he was alive, it would be sufficient.

Not long after noon break, just as they were about to resume their work a knock resound through the door. Mikhaïl sent Silvia to see what it was about and listen from his work station.

“Hello!” Enthusiastically exclaimed the girl after opening the door.

“He-hello,” answered a surprised feminine voice. “I’ve heard there is a new Alchemist.”

“Yes! Sir Mikhaïl is here. But he’s busy, what do you want?” Asked Silvia.

“I’ve heard he’s quite good, I’d like to talk to him,” the voice said.

“He’s the best!” Declared the Slave girl. “But he’s busy right now, What do you want?” Repeated Silvia. Mikhaïl winced hearing this, he would need to train the girl to better talk to people coming to the lab.

“I want to talk to him,” Mikhaïl could hear faint anger in the voice.

“I said he’s busy!” Exclaimed the assistant and she slammed the door.

“Silvia!” Said the Alchemist. “It’s no way to talk to potential customers! Move aside,” he continued angrily. The lab’s boss walked to the door, shoving his female assistant out of the way and opened the door.

He saw a female Human. She was rather tall for a Human reaching the middle of Mikhaïl’s torso in height. She had long and silky dark hair flowing on her shoulders and resting just on her tits, her skin was pale despite her original dark coloration, Mikhaïl immediately recognized the signs of alchemical products. Her breast was also prominent, but not as much as her back-side and she was visibly well-nourished as some love handle could be seen on her waist. She was wearing a black and red short dress who managed to look both skimpy and distinguished, just as her make-up. Mikhaïl’s keen nose could smell the odor of alchemical products and sex coming from that woman.

“Hello, I’m Mikhaïl, the new Alchemist,” he introduced himself. “I’m sorry for my assistant’s attitude, she’s in need of training. It was no way to greet anyone knocking on my door.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the woman said. “I’m Jezza, I run the brothel but haven’t had the luck of seeing you there yet.”

“You run the brothel? Please come in, come in. I’m sorry I don’t have a place to accommodate you or anything fancy to offer as refreshment, I could send Silvia or Damian to get something from Antoine if you’d like,” offered Mikhaïl has he pulled a chair for the woman to sit.

“Oh, it’s nice to see a man who knows how to receive potential customers, it wasn’t the case with your predecessor.”

“I must confess that the more I hear about him, the less I understand what a man like him was doing in a place like this.”

Mikhaïl and Jezza exchanged some small talks about the previous Alchemist, the encampment, and their respective roll in it. All the while Silvia and Damian looked at the two. The Alchemist deliberately ignored the angry look on the girl’s face and the lusty one on the man’s visage.

“Well, as long as this is a pleasant chat, I do have work to do and time is running short,” said Mikhaïl after thirty minutes. “Tell me what brought such an important person as you to my humble lab?”

The woman put down her cup. At some point during the meeting, Mikhaïl had ordered Damian to go fetch some tea and biscuits.

“Oh, don’t flat me so much and don’t be so modest. The truth is I need you,” The woman answered. “As you certainly know a brothel is a place were a lot of alchemical products are used,” Mikhaïl nodded at the madame words. “And as far as my stocks go and dear Antoine can provide, I’d like to secure some provisions directly from you.”

“Of course, a sensible decision. For a brothel, I can think of a few useful things. Unfortunately, I lack the materials to do a lot and the funds to acquire more in a timely manner, it will have to wait. And I also have my work for Antoine’s stock to take care of.”

“As much as I dislike talking money, I understand it, I own a business after all. I can of course provide the necessary funds and maybe some favors or services to have with my girls and boys.”

“I may come and take a look, but I doubt you have anything for my tastes,” said Mikhaïl.

“Oh, do tell. We can cover a lot of demands despite our restraint size,” the woman said leaning forward.

“Ha! I don’t doubt it, but those are not for a first meeting, maybe another time,” dodged the Beorn before changing the subject. “But lest talk about what I can provide. I can offer health, mana, and stamina potions, obviously. I can also prepare several kinds of aphrodisiacs for both men and women or just one sex, some may vary in intensity depending on the species. Evidently, I can provide contraceptive decoctions to be used as prevention or in case of accidents. Concerning the beauty product, I can also prepare a range of useful creams, powders, and lotions.”

“Oh, you’re promising much. I like that!”

“But it will take time to gather enough ingredients and to prepare everything, depending on the quantity needed, I may even need a bit more help to meet deadlines.”

“Of course, I understand.”

Mikhaïl and Jezza talked for another half-hour to work a deal between the two establishments. They exchanged more small talk before the woman left the room with a promise of some sample for the end of the week. The Alchemist had other things to do in his lab, like Karim’s weekly order for the bandits’ stock, or the different ways the Beorn wanted to improve the lab, there was also the treasured plant to take care of and to study.

“So, Silvia,” the man said turning to the Slave girl.

“Y-yes, Sir?” She asked meekly, remembering the way he had shoved her aside earlier.

“What was that about? This was no way to talk to a potential customer,” the Alchemist said angrily.

“B-but she’s a bad woman,” the girl defended herself.

“I don’t care. As tiring as it may be to feign interest to the babble of this woman, you need to always act amenable with customers and potential customers. They are the ones who bring coins in and allow you to do your work.”

“B-bu-but-” the girl started.

“No ‘but’. I’m disappointed in you,” the Alchemist said coldly looking down on the girl. “Now, clean the place and grind the hemlock.”

“Y-yes, Sir,” Silvia answered head down and went to execute her orders.

Mikhaïl chose to focus on teaching Damian for the rest of the afternoon, barely giving attention to Silvia as a way to punish her. He explained to the Gardener witch plants were best suited for alchemy assessing the man’s knowledge, he had not taken the time to do so before, to focus on arranging the lab to his liking.

It turned out that the male assistant knew more than the Alchemist had thought he would. Damian was both a Cook and a Gardener, therefore he had a wide knowledge of edible plants despite his relatively low levels in both Classes. He knew of almost all the regional plants one could find in a kitchen making him more knowledgeable than Mikhaïl on this particular subject. He also knew most of the non-edible local plants or the non-local but still common and edible ones. That greatly pleased Mikhaïl, the man was proving himself more valuable than initially.

The Alchemist and Herborist had already tasked the Gardener with all the plants in the lab, but he was now reassured that the man knew about all of them and the peculiarities of every one of those.

Where Damian’s knowledge of plants and botanic was lacking, was more on the alchemy side of it. Something normal for a Gardener and Cook of his levels. Mikhaïl would have to teach the Human how to prepare the plants to be incorporated in alchemical preparations.

Some needed to be ground, some minced, some chopped, some dried before use or to be used fresh, certain needed to be infused in water, oil, or alcohol and the solvent and/or the plant stocked for later use.

Being a Cook would provide the assistant with a base on how to process plants, particularly in how to use a knife, but there was still knowhow he was laking.

---

Somewhere during a dark night, in one of Wadrabak’s many dark alleys, two cloaked figures were conspicuously meeting. One was taller than the other and slimmer as well, it was the only way to differentiate them.

“A nice day to look at the birds,” declared the first in a whisper, it was the tall one.

“Yes, the sparrows are flying low at noon,” answered the second.

“They may go on an oblique though.”

“And maybe catch a bug.”

Once the strange passwords exchanged and their mutual identities confirmed the two dark silhouettes started exchanging more important information.

“What news did our agent send?” asked the taller of the two. They were frequently checking to make sure nobody would spy on them.

“The agent has been eliminated,” announced the stocky one.

“Is the operation compromised?” Inquired the other one.

“Just a momentary setback. I have another person in the place ready to hand us information. It’ll just take a bit more time,” said the small figure in a reassuring whisper.

“That’s a resource running thin.”

“I’m confident I can have the information in time for the operation.”

“Good, but don’t forget the deadline is for the winter solstice.”

“It leaves plenty of time, it’s still spring. I’ll have all the information we need.”

“If you’re this confident,” slight doubt could be heard in the murmur coming from under the thinner cloak.

“I am,” energetically whispered the small cloak, as far as one could energetically whisper.

“Good, I’ll pass the message along.”

“I have a question before we end.”

“Yes?”

“Why do we meet in dark alleys, at night, with hooded cloaks? Isn’t it too cliché?” Asked the small and bulky person.

Sigh. “I told you a hundred times already,” answered the tall and slim one in an angry whisper. “It is so cliché that people won’t take us seriously and underestimate us. It’s a tactic of disinformation to blur the tail. No serious enemy will think we’re worse monitoring if we’re acting like that,” the cloaked silhouette whispered to their smaller counterpart.

“I find this stupid.”

“Fortunately, your opinion does not matter on the subject. Those are the orders, you’ll follow them,” anger was rising in the whispering, but the tall person was too professional to let their voice rise.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Just wanted to complain a bit,” was the small one’s answer.

“You’re exasperating sometimes,” sighed the slimmer one. “Anyway, it’s time to leave. The sparrows are taking flight again.”

“They will fly away.”

“And found new ground.”

“To catch more bugs.”

The parting words exchanged, the two silhouettes walked in direction of each of the alley exit, and once sufficiently away from each other and hidden from inquisitive eyes, they removed their hooded cloaks.

The small one appeared to be a short Human with a grey beard and bushy brows, he quickly walked through an empty place and entered an empty house before disappearing into a hidden passage.

The tall one revealed themselves to be a Human woman with black hair and eyes and white skin. She turned at a corner and a fat, bald, brown skin man took her place. The man entered another empty house and exited it on the other side under the appearance of a tall and strong Aarakocra whose feathers were the color of sand, passing the corner of a new street they disappeared.

All those precautions were useless that night as nobody had seen the two spies. But they could never be certain and lived by the motto ‘better safe than sorry’.