NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Basic Alchemy
The young girl defiantly stood her ground in the cramped storage room, surrounded by towering shelves laden with an assortment of cleaning chemicals. A solitary light bulb flickered overhead, casting a dim, sterile glow and making her look even paler than she was.
Determined to hold onto her newfound freedom, she resolved not to succumb to capture once more. With every passing moment, the commando unit from planetary security drew closer, their arrival imminent, and her time dwindling rapidly.
'In head-on battle, I will have no chance to beat a full squad armed with automatic plasma rifles and armored tactical suits.'
The deafening robotic voice reverberated relentlessly, its urgent command overpowering the blaring alarm, penetrating through the thick concrete walls as if they were paper-thin. "Leave the building with your hands above your head, immediately!"
'Shut up and let me work! Or do you want me to really go crazy?!' It was making her nuts, the constant loud noises making her feel like a real lunatic. She wanted them to shut up and let her work!
Tia hurried up and returned to her current task as she was quickly running out of time.
Ding!
//
New quest: The First Potion
The potion-making is the bread and water of every witch! Concoct your first potion.
Rewards: One random potion recipe; 1 x witch point
//
A pile of paper was burning on the ground, the flames licking a small metallic pot filled with boiling, bubbling water and blood. Steam was rising out, carrying a strong stench of blood with it.
'I already have fire, blood, and water elements... ' Her eyes desperately scanned the shelves, looking for anything that would fit a poison description. Finally, they stopped on a bottle of strong and abrasive floor cleaner.
A smile formed on her lips as she grabbed it, 'This should be toxic enough... It isn't exactly a poison, but it should be enough for such a low-grade potion.'
With closed eyes, she delved into deep concentration, allowing the ethereal energy of mana to course from her heart to her very fingertips. A familiar, comforting warmth enveloped her palms, akin to the sensation of dipping them into a stream of gently flowing warm water.
Her hands hovered above the seething cauldron, where the amalgamation of water, metal, and fire elements coalesced. She keenly sensed their presence, guided by an otherworldly precision that surpassed human limitations.
Moving her hand once more, it halted above the container of cleaning solution. An involuntary crease formed on her forehead as an abrupt needle of pain lanced through her mind. Simultaneously, a surge of diverse elements cascaded towards her outstretched hand—water, poison, acid, and an enigmatic blend of unknown forces.
'It should work. It isn't a very pure poison element, but it is enough for this garbage potion.'
With a flick of her wrist, the droplets of the elemental mana lifted off from the fire, the bloody water, and the cleaning solution, all of them neatly separating.
The droplets of the elemental mana hovered in the air, floating as if they were in a zero-gravity environment, the light of the lightbulb refracting in them.
It was just the lowest grade of a potion, so it didn't require any fancy materials, methods, or equipment. On top of that, the number of used elements was so small it even preserved the materials from which they were extracted.
The essential components were merely a collection of material samples for extracting the necessary elements, a suitable medium for blending these elements together, and, of course, an infusion of mana to bring it all together.
'The most important material witches are using is mana and elemental energy. It is almost like chemistry, but the chemicals are replaced by magic. Well, at least on the low level...'
With her will, she pushed all the extracted elements together, condensing them into a single pulsing droplet of mana. Her energy poured out of her body, and sweat dripped down her neck.
Tia closed her eyes, already bracing herself in case it exploded, 'Fingers crossed...'
Her mana enveloped the droplet of elemental energy and dissolved them into a single droplet.
There was no explosion, so she snapped open her eyes in anticipation of seeing the result. A youthful smile curved upon her lips, and her eyes sparkled with uncontainable delight as they fell upon the sight before her.
Suspended in mid-air, a solitary droplet of elemental energy. It brightly shone, outglowing even the old lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. It wasn't perfectly fused, its color constantly shifting between the colors of the respective elements it was composed of. It looked like mixed water and oil, imperfect and not fully fused, showing how flawed and low-tier the recipe was.
'Good enough for me.'
It fell straight into the bubbling water, and as if she had dropped a die into it, its color changed into wine-red. Almost immediately, a crimson vapor began to rise, filling the surrounding air.
Ding!
//
You have concocted a potion.
Rating: It is garbage and barely eligible to be called a potion.
Reward: +1 MAG stat
//
'Well, that was expected.' She still frowned at it, hating how the system couldn't help but make fun of her.
Ding!
//
The quest was cleared!
Rewards: Recipe: Inferior Healing Potion; 1 x witch point
//
Tia held her breath, refusing to inhale the dangerous vapors rising out of it. Exhaustion overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, causing her to slump backward, landing unceremoniously on her backside. Her mind brimmed with weariness, every ounce of energy nearly depleted from the arduous endeavor of creating just a single low-grade potion.
'How deep have I fallen?'
Her body tensed in fear. Steps, lots of heavy steps were moving down the hallway. She counted in her head, 'At least eight of them...'
The bubbling pot of the red liquid raised into the air, suspended by her telekinesis. She was tired, her long hair in a mess, but she refused to give up. With sheer willpower, she stood up and walked straight to the door, her small, pale feet tapping on the ceramic tiles. Her eyes shined, the pot moving before her.
As the footsteps drew nearer, Tia cautiously peered out from the shelter of the doorframe, her senses heightened to their limits. Swiftly, she withdrew, her heart pounding in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her veins, momentarily overpowering her fatigue and the throbbing headache.
A commanding voice, resounding with masculinity, pierced through the corridors of the hospital, reverberating with an eerie echo. "Step forward, young lady. There's no need to fear. Everything will be alright."
The girl felt relief and joy at the voice, 'It sounds clear, so they are likely without masks! I still have a chance!
'Still... How did they find me so fast? There are no cameras around here... maybe some life signs sensors?' Her knowledge was limited only to what she heard from the other patients or found out during her limited access time to the galactic net.
They kept her locked up, but she wasn't fully isolated.
The same voice brought her back out of her thoughts, "Throw your gun out of the room! I promise you, no one will hurt you."
'I must stop spacing out, or I will die!' She stilled her breath and calmed her mind. She flicked her wrist, the last bit of her energy leaving her body. The pot of the red liquid flew straight through the open door.
There was no way she would give up and let them lock her up again!
<<<>>>>
<Basic Telekinesis IV (62%)> --> 63%
<<<>>>>
A loud splashing and clanging noise echoed through the dark corridors of the hospital. Her heart loudly pounded, all of her hopes put into the potion.