A special task from the Chief Alchemist

[fontane]

As Quantum and I prepared in the tunnel for our impending encounter, we realised we were thoroughly sick of fighting the demon.
"We have only gained a few prizes even though we have defeated him so many times. And this tunnel is dark and uncomfortable" moaned Quantum.
"Well, perhaps we have learnt enough from him, Q. I think we are ready to move on to more difficult challenges" I replied thoughtfully.
"I think you are right, this time, cuz. We have been holding off our training for too long. Perhaps we should talk to the Chief Alchemist at the school. If you smile at him sweetly, we may be able to convince him to give us a special task, in recognition of all the additional experience we have obtained".
"He always seems rather distracted, so I am not sure if my smiling will help, but I can try. But first, the demon ....... ready?"

After recovering from another fruitless fight with the demon, we ambled through Coral and headed for the alchemy campus.
"Now don't get cross, Q, if he mentions the damage to the school in Amber. We have learnt much since then but I suspect that experiment will continue to haunt us for the rest of our lives. As will the memories of the explosion that devastated our home town." I paused and sighed loudly.
"Ok, cuz. I will try to resist the urge. And you remember to smile" Quantum replied, playfully poking me.

We entered the office of the Chief Alchemist, and waited politely until he looked up from a parchment and noticed us. He then had the audacity to say "Hmmmm, you don't look like the type to want to enroll in classes. . . ..".
We held our tongues and smiled politely. I could feel the rage building inside me and Q started to snort quietly. I spoke up in my most polite voice.
"My cousin and I ARE enrolled in classes here. However we have been away adventuring so much that perhaps our faces are not familiar to you. In fact we find our studies have taken us way beyond where we should be. We were wondering if, perhaps … umm …..."
"What my cousin is trying to say is that we would like to be given special consideration; to attempt to complete two levels of training”.

The Chief Alchemist rubbed his chin and muttered a bit to himself.
“I seem to remember hearing about some disastrous experiment by two cousins in Amber. Was that you two?”
We nodded and then hung our heads sheepishly.
“Well I would be expecting better than that. If you wish to progress two levels, then I will need to set you a special task. I will think about it. Return tomorrow and I will tell you what I require from you”.

We bowed deeply before him and left quickly.
“Well, that went better than I expected. I wonder what he will expect us to do.” I said.
“We have never had troubles with our quests before. I am sure whatever he sets for us will be within our abilities. We have not stretched ourselves for quite a while, cuz”
We retired to Dwar’s to rest for the night, full of anticipation of the forthcoming task.

We both awoke early the next morning, and hurried back to the Chief Alchemist. This time he remembered us and even gave a small smile.
“Ah the two cousins, with high regard for their abilities. I wonder if you will have the same gleam in your eyes once you have heard the task I have devised for you.”
“I have heard reports that a dwarf out in Silken Alley is brewing a hangover remedy. We would like to duplicate and then work to improve the recipe. Many of our guild seem to be in need of such a remedy. Collect a sample then run a thorough analysis for me, please”
The Chief Alchemist glances at Quantum and smiles a sad smile.

I was watching Quantum out of the corner of my eye. He seemed to blush slightly. I wondered what he was thinking. But first things, first. I bowed slightly to the Chief Alchemist and nodded and Quantum followed suit.
“We will return with our report soon. We will not disappoint you” I said. I then turned and walked out of the office with Quantum following close behind me. I couldn’t wait to hear his thoughts on the task.

[fontane]

*** RE-POSTED ***
Of course, Quantum was keen to head straight out to Silken Alley. Being the cautious one, I wanted to stop and discuss the whole task but sometimes I have found there is no stopping Quantum so I led us through the forest to the clearing filled with colourful tents. It didnt take long to locate the dwarf the Chief Alchemist spoke of. Quantum seemed right at home as we entered the Trollsplitters Bar but refrained suggesting he should have a drink. We sized Pansy up and chatted a little with him. He refused to talk about his hangover remedy or its recipe. He did seem to lament that he was in retirement and could no longer go off killing trolls and goblins. Although he seemed much much stronger than us, we knew there was only one way to get a sample from him even though we couldn't be sure if he had a sample on him. We prepared for battle and a hush came over the bar. Quantum nodded to me and I bound Pansy and threw my strongest magic at him as did Quantum. I had misgivings; we were unsure whether the crafty dwarf had unknown powers up his sleeve but to my relief (and Quantum's as well) the battle went surprising well and in no time at all , we were looking down upon the defeated dwarf. Quantum bent over and checked his pockets. I imagine our surprise when he stood up and handed over a small black bottle. I quickly put it in my sack for safe-keeping and then hugged Quantum. The first part of our special task was completed far more easily than I expected. I only hoped we would be able to analyse the sample successfully.

[fontane]

*** RE-POSTED ***
Maybe it was common sense, maybe it was all the fumes in the bar but thankfully Quantum didn't insist we head straight for alchemy school and start our analysis. We spent many weeks wandering the Lands, exploring and improving our skills and reading up all the books we could get our hands on. Finally, one bright summer's day, we decided we were ready to do the analysis. We wandered through some of the buildings on the campus looking for one suitable for chemical analysis. Eventually we located an experimentation hall that seemed perfect but we found we had to share it with other researchers.

I removed the remedy from my sack and examined it carefully.
"This black bottle of remedy holds a bit but perhaps we should hold some back in reserve ... just transfer some into a breaker" I suggested to Quantum.
Quantum nodded in agreement. I poured some of the remedy into a beaker, carefully re-stoppered the bottle then passed the beaker to Quantum. He took the beaker carefully and raised it to his nose.
"What you think?" I asked.
I rolled my eyes in exasperation as he sniffed the beaker's contents carefully and replied "Smells good enough to drink and I'm feeling a bit muzzy".
Frowning, I asked Quantum to hand back the beaker and then sniffed it myself.
"Hmm ... actually you are right ... smells of fruit ... strange" I said.
Quantum looked at me in a comforting way and shrugged his shoulders.

I looked into the beaker and stated "weird colour, don't you think?"
Quantum grins widely and said "Yes, it's almost the same colour as... as... well... goblin's blood".
Quantum stepped back a pace as I glared at him.
"And HOW would you know what colour goblin's blood is?" I yelled at him.
"Well ... Well ..." he started to say.
"I told you to stay away from them" I said through gritted teeth. "Who took you ... or did you go alone?"
With an ever widening grin, Quantum said "It was purely a research thing".
I was pretty angry at this point and was only half listening to his explanations. I think he said something about "just taking a peek" and "having BIG company". I was getting red in the face yelling about how dangerous goblins are and how they could do him an injury and set back our training. That was when I remembered ... a vague memory of something Pansy had said. Quantum continued talking about some fighter who had been with him on this adventure ... a woman, he mentioned ... well, that was no big surprise but this memory continued to niggle me and my anger faded fast while I tried to remember.
Finally Quantum realized that I was no longer angry and was trying to remember something.
"About goblins?" he asked.
I nodded my head and said "Pansy said something about goblins ... so perhaps in this instance you are correct ... eww ... yuck".

The other alchemists in the lab were beginning to crowd us and Quantum said "If one of those knocks our experiment over, there will be HELL to pay".
At this point I just wanted to start the experiment and not get into any fights or arguments with them so I said "Well at least they aren't interfering ... just keeping on with their business ... we will use this back bench ... it should be fine"

"So what should we do?" I asked.
"Well I have been reading up on the skill of analyzing food samples" replied Quantum.
"Good ... and?" I asked again.
"I don’t like to be bossy. You're the brains in this outfit" Quantum replied with a broad grin.
"But perhaps we should test the sample for basic food components ... like ... starch, sugar, fats, proteins ... that sort of stuff".
I smiled and replied "We are working together here ... they are easy tests ... and it should help us narrow down the ingredients".
Quantum nodded.

I poured a small amount of the remedy into four small test tubes.
"You test for starch and sugar. I will test for fats and proteins" I said as I passed two to my cousin.
I took one test tube, added a few drops of powder and sets it aside to rest. Then I got my text book from my sack and quickly turned the pages looking for instructions for the fats test.
Meanwhile Quantum stoppered one test tube and placed it in his pouch then got out a slip of parchment.
Next he removed a small bottle from his pouch and unstoppered it filling the room with a sharp tang.
I glanced over at my cousin and smiled to myself at his studiousness.
Unaware I was watching him, he dipped the parchment in the bottle and removed it. It is now stained a dark brown. He re-stoppered the bottle and returned it to his pouch.

Returning to my tests, I looked back at my second test tube and proceeded to run the fats test on it as outlined in my text book. Glancing up, I saw Quantum dip the parchment into one of his test tubes and let it sit in the solution. He said "That iodine sure is pungent, cuz". He removed the parchment and it was still brown with no colour change. "No starch then, cuz" he stated.
I finished the fats test and nodded to myself at the clear result and reported to Quantum "no fat either ... interesting ...".

Quantum placed his used test tube in the hearth and casts a fireball to vapourize it.
"OK, next" he said.
"Sugar test?" I replied.
Quantum recovered his second test tube and got a crystal flask from his pouch.
I moved back to my other test tube that I added the powder to, stoppered it and shook it carefully.
Quantum says "I only have one shot of this test for sugar ... monks make it ... some obscure order" as he unstoppered the test tube.
"So carefully, Q" I said and held my breath.
Quantum removed the wax plug from the flask and pours the contents (4 drops) into the tube and then clapped his hands and smiled as the colour changes to a bright blue.
"There is sugar present, cuz" he stated proudly.
"Oh good finally we are getting somewhere" I said as I lifted my test tube to the light.
"Brilliant ... there is protein as well" I stated.

I destroyed my used test tubes in the hearth and started muttering almost to myself. I knew the positive protein test meant Quantum could be right. The remedy could contain goblin blood. Hearing my mutterings, Quantum asked for another sample. I glanced at my cousin and poured another sample from the beaker.
"Goblins ... blood ... no way ... never" I continued to mutter while glancing at my cousin.
"You think ... that maybe ... it is goblin blood?" I finally asked him.
But he seemed engrossed in his experiment. He placed a second beaker below a coned piece of parchment and poured the sample into the cone and watched it drip into the beaker below. Once it had drained completely, he heated the parchment gently to dry it.
"How could anyone drink goblin blood ... eewwww" I continued to mutter while glancing over at my cousin and wondering what he was testing now?
Quantum scowled after placing several liquids on the dried parchment.
"No iron, cuz' says Quantum almost spitting out the words. "I was sure that was it".
I wiped my brow in relief and then said "then it CAN'T be blood.

"Well we should try to determine what type of protein" I said. "Best way would be to cook it".
I set up a low flame and clamped a flat dish above the flame then poured the sample into the dish and watched carefully and started to laugh.
"It looks like that egg you fried up once when we were kids and found that blue egg in the bushes.
"Yep" replied Quantum.
"No yolk though but it looks odd ... very grayish" I stated as I skimmed the congealed protein from the dish.
"There are black particles in the remaining liquid, cuz" Quantum noted.
I glanced at the dish and nodded in agreement.
"Let me filter it again" asked Quantum.
"Good idea. See! You are just as smart as me" I replied.
Quantum wrapped a cloth around his hand and set up a second beaker and parchment cone filter. He then picked up the hot dish and poured the liquid into the cone.
I stood back a bit and watched my cousin in admiration, thinking he has come a long way since our last series of experiments.
Quantum put the hot dish down quickly and unwrapped his hand and blew on his fingers and frowned.
"Warm that" he said grinning broadly "But no burns".
"Careful, Q" I said worriedly as Quantum yelled "AHA! The filtered liquid is golden".
I leant over to see what Quantum had discovered.
"And there are particles on the parchment" he continued.
"You test the liquid and I will test the particles" he suggested.
"Good plan" I replied.

Quantum carefully dried the parchment while I picked up the beaker and looked into it. Quantum again applied several liquids to the parchment and clapped his hands.
"It's carbon ... the particles are carbon" he exclaimed.
"Ah ha ... of course ... that is what is giving it that strange colour" I said.
"OK what's that?" asked Quantum.
I sniffed the liquid and still thought it smelt fruity and sweet. I added a few drops of solution to the liquid and then nods to myself.
"I was right, Q ... It is fructose ... so some type of fruit juice" I replied.

"So what have we learned, cuz" Quantum asked.
"Well ... egg white ... fruit juice ... powdered carbon ... the results are pretty conclusive" I replied.
"Hmmmm" said Quantum muttering obscenities under his breath.
I glanced over at my cousin about to ask what he is muttering about when the Chief Alchemist matched in and asked if our tests were complete. I told the Chief that we had just run the last test and the results were that the remedy contained egg white, fruit juice and powdered carbon.
I watched him think about what I had said for a while and then he asked "Are you sure that is all? Our existing remedies already have that as the basis of them. I am rather disappointed".
"We are sorry. That is our findings. Have we proved ourselves sufficiently to train twice?" I asked hopefully.

Quantum noticed the Chief Alchemist looked undecided and cleared his throat loudly.
"I think there may have been one more ingredient that we missed in our testing" he said boldly.
I looked at my cousin and raised my eyebrow but Quantum motioned to me to stay silent. Quantum held the stare of the Chief Alchemist without flinching.
The Chief Alchemist looked at Quantum with renewed interest and said "You may advance one level then attempt to determine if there is, in fact, a fourth ingredient".
Quantum bowed to the Chief Alchemist and then grabbed my hand and said "Quick, cuz ... before he changes his mind and dragged me outside.

[fontane]

"OK the Chief Alchemist granted us permission to train due to our efforts" said Quantum when he stopped moving. "We should train and then discuss my idea about the potion".
I felt all flustered but I hurriedly took us to the training location before the Chief Alchemist changed his mind. After attaining our next level of training, I sat in the corner of the training room feeling rather dejected and shook my head. I listened carefully as Quantum told me of his theory about the potion.

"I am listening, Q" I said.
"If you recall cuz, I thought of a beverage and you thought of a fruit drink. That's because I had first sniff. You have heard of the old saying "hair of the beast. I think the missing elusive fourth ingredient is ..." he said.
"Hmm .. no ... must be some tale you heard in a tavern." I interrupted.
"... pure alcohol" he continued."I am talking 100% pure alcohol".
I gasped and looked wide-eyed at Quantum.
"So pure that if not drunk immediately when poured, it evaporates" he stated in a serious voice.
I stood and put my hands on my hips and stomped around a bit.
"Why on earth didn't you say earlier" I fumed.
"Well" muttered Quantum as he kicked his heels and looked sheepish.
I eyed Quantum and tapped my foot waiting for an explanation.
"I know how upset you get when I go off carousing all hours day and night. Not to mention I was not 100% sure" he started to say.
"Yes .... some mornings you are good for no fighting for hours" I agreed.
"... and I did think the alcohol would show up in our tests. I tested two samples for it ... no show" he continued, "so I did not mention it".
"Let's put this theory to the test, dear cousin ... perhaps your drinking habits will have proved useful in this instance" I said with a smile and a sparkle in my eyes.

We hurried back to the lab and I asked "ok .. so how do we test this?"
Quantum explained that we must take care to capture all of the vapors from the potion and then analyze them. I got some beakers and stoppers out and got the remedy from my sack and hands it carefully to Quantum. He carefully unstoppered the remedy and poured it into the equipment and hoped we had captured the vapours. Both of us remarked that we could see nothing.
"Only one sure way to test pure alcohol" I stated.
"I guess if we light it it will give a nice pop and show a small alcoholic vapour is present." Quantum said.
I nodded.
"You light the taper and I will unstopper the flask" I told Quantum.
Quantum lit a long taper and I carefully removed the stopper from the inverted flask. Quantum moved the taper carefully towards the mouth of the flask.

Suddenly we were hurled backwards as the volatile gas ignited suddenly in a blinding flash. I staggered from the Experimental Hall dragging Quantum behind me. I hugged Quantum and then he slapped me a triumphant highfive.
"ALCOHOL!!" yelled Quantum noticing the Chief Alchemist rushing towards them through the debris.
I whispered to my cousin "You were right".
Quantum stood quietly as the Chief spluttered in his face and said "WELL!".
"You tell him" I said to Quantum so he explained calmly to the Chief Alchemist that we had discovered the fourth ingredient.
Quantum cackled with glee when he reported "Alcohol...... pure 100% alcohol!"
The Chief Alchemist thought on this and then nodded his head saying "Damn Dwarves ... of course ... Why didn't I realize".
We watched the Chief Alchemist stride purposefully back to his office, pausing at the exit to gesture
our next training location.

"OK, cuz, we have earned this" said Quantum as we attained yet another level.