The Gorgon's Blood Solution Read Online Free

uncluttered work space, and hurriedly walked past the silent Phillippe to go begin his introduction into the world of higher knowledge-based alchemy.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 2 – The First Love Philter
     
    Marco found Algornia carefully measuring out a sparkling, coarse dark powder into one of four small ceramic bowls that were lined up on the counter where Algornia usually talked business details with customers.  The wooden board that usually hung outside the door to denote the shop was open was inside, and the room was even dimmer than usual because the shutters had been closed to prevent anyone from looking in through the windows.  The result was a dark, cool room where the fragrances of the various chemicals and supplies created a pungency that delivered an immediate impact on the senses of one who entered the room.
    Marco didn’t even notice the room’s odor as he watched with fascination while Algornia meticulously leveled off the contents of the small bowl, then re-stoppered the beaker the powder had come from.
    “Here, carry these to your work table and wait for me,” Algornia commanded.  “And don’t spill a speck of any of them, or the formula will suffer, and the cost will come out of your allowance,” he said sternly.
    Marco stood hesitantly for a moment, considered how to pick up and carry the four bowls with the least chance of trouble.
    “Make two trips if you have to,” Algornia spoke helpfully, and Marco bent to pick up two of the bowls, relieved to have the suggestion.  He carefully shuffled his feet as he carried the two bowls to his table, then stepped around Phillippe and hurried back to the front room.   He fleetingly thought about how often he had ignored the opportunity to observe Phillippe produce a love philter, and he resolved to watch more in the future.
    “Here,” Algornia motioned to the other two bowls, as he finished filling one with corrosive sublimate, a substance Marco had learned to make during the previous fall.  It was a smelly and tedious process of production.
    “Isn’t that poisonous for human consumption?” Marco carefully asked as he watched Algornia close the small wooden keg.
    “Yes it is,” the master agreed.
    “Is it safe to mix into a philter then?” Marco asked.
    “Absolutely not!” Algornia exclaimed.  “Surely you know that by now, after a year and a half of work here.”
    “I do,” Marco agreed, subdued and confused by the mismatch of words and deeds.  Why would Algornia be preparing the poison for the philter if he thought it was inappropriate?
    “We’ll use the sublimate to purify the sal petrea so that we can refine the philter at the end of the process.  You knew that already, didn’t you?” Algornia asked.
    Marco ducked his head and picked up the bowls without answering, wishing to avoid revealing his ignorance – though the words did resonate strongly for some reason – then carried the bowls back to his table.  As he sat them down he saw that Algornia had followed closely behind him.
    “Here,” the master said, “go bring these items back to your table,” he handed a list of ingredients written on paper.  “I’ll go take care of a matter and meet you back here soon.”
    Marco looked down at the nearly dozen elements that he had been assigned to gather, then looked over at Phillippe, who obliviously continued to focus on his own delicate work.
    Marco suddenly felt a momentary flicker of doubt that he could manage to remain so focused for so long on the specific steps that the other apprentice seemed to so meticulously carry out.  Counting centipede legs wasn’t something that required a lot of focus, compared to the way that Phillippe seemed to strenuously examine every move he made.
    Algornia was gone, Marco realized with a start, and that spurred him to pass back through the work room to the warehouse behind it, where countless common alchemical items were stored on the series of shelves that filled the room.