Arachne barreled forth, barely avoiding another lightning strike. A blue shield enveloped the nun, stopping her claws just inches from her body. As much as she hated to admit it, she would have been banished in that alley if Eva hadn’t helped break the shield.
This time, she had no help. Arachne could feel the Void opening up beneath her. She almost stopped and let it take her. Not before she gave the nun a last parting gift.
Arachne swung her bulbous abdomen around, the same move that had scattered a mass of bones five times the nun’s size. Even with the shield, the nun went flying. She crashed straight through the cinder block wall.
Empty tendrils grew out of the ground. They wrapped around Arachne and pulled her down into a large portal.
She gave the remaining nun a grin as the mortal realm vanished above her.
The web covered crag of her domain rapidly approached Arachne.
Author’s Note: Eva was tortured by Sawyer. She had her toes, fingers, and eyes removed. She attempted an ‘infernal walk’ to escape.
Alchemy: Potions
“The first potion we will brew is a simple one. Despite its simplicity, it tends to be one of the most useful.” Professor Lurcher held up a small flask of light blue liquid. “It goes by many names depending on where you are. Anything from a quick fix elixir to the ostentatious ‘panacea.'”
Irene jotted down every word into her notebook. Potions, and alchemy in general, was not her best subject nor the one she was most interested in. That made it all the more important to pay attention.
It wasn’t that she saw no value in the subject. Alchemy filled many gaps left by regular thaumaturgy. Healing, for one. There were no spells that mended bone and flesh. Potions could be used to that end.
No, Irene definitely saw value in the subject. The problem was simply that potion making never made any sense. None of her tutors before school started could ever explain why ingredients provided seemingly unrelated effects when mixed.
Jordan couldn’t even tell her, and he liked the subject.
Unfortunately for Irene, the potion they would brew in class seemed to follow the nonsensical pattern.
Professor Lurcher quickly went through the ingredients, their amounts, and specific brewing instructions. All together it was a glowing mushroom, skimmed pond scum, powdered flame salamander eggshell, dirt from an anthill, and a tiny dab of low SPF suntan lotion.
At least he explained that suntan lotion wasn’t always used in this potion. It simply became a cheap alternative to rarer ingredients. The dirt was added to the recipe at the same time to help absorb unnecessary chemicals from the lotion.
Not a single sentence was spared for discussing why one might use dirt from an anthill rather than dirt from a termite hill.
How much a tiny dab consisted of went unsaid as did brand or specific type.
“I must stress that it is not a panacea. In some cases, the quick fix elixir may make things worse. Do not administer it if the subject is suffering from heart problems, missing or broken limbs, shortness of breath, or infections. If you don’t know if you should or shouldn’t give a dose, do not do so.”
It took almost half the lesson to go over the potion’s effects. Irene diligently wrote down every downside the potion could have. He went on to list several side effects like bloating, temporary tongue extensions, sore earlobes, full body hair loss, swollen feet, death, and more; Irene was sure she never wanted to take a quick fix elixir.
That reluctance only increased when the list of benefits was drastically shorter.
“It is good for most headaches, sore throats, nausea, most digestive problems, and minor injuries. It has a short boost to your body’s natural blood generation and will help close up small cuts.” He stopped and almost glared at the class. “As you can see, it is not a panacea. If you’re willing to risk the side effects, it can be effective for small things.”
Eva let out a short snort from her seat next to Irene.
Irene wasn’t sure why she chose to sit next to the black-haired girl. Probably because Shelby snatched up the seat next to Jordan and, given her collection of potions on the trip over, Eva had to be better at potions than Max was.
She wasn’t sure that was the right choice.
Eva never took notes. Sure, the first few days of going over lab equipment and safety procedures were not that interesting. What if something happened? What was Eva going to do then?
