• Closed • [Devin] The Next Step

Albert finally makes his first potion, barely making his deadline for Devin's request.

Once an isolated and dying township, an influx of academics, adventurers and thrill seekers have made Scalvoris Town their home. From scholars' tea shops to a new satellite campus for Viden Academy, this is an exciting place to visit or make your home!

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Albert Magnus
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[Devin] The Next Step

37th Trial of Ymiden

BANG!
'Hm. Not this one'
SLAM!
'Nope not this one either'

Albert felt like a real idiot right now.
Here he was, hammer in hand, smashing pieces of rock like some kind of town fool with nothing better to do.

He'd already recieved 3 noise complaints, and had to do is hammering on a thick blanket of cloth to avoid getting any more.
He was getting more and more suspicious and confused looks every time he went out to collect another batch of stones.

Even with the soft cloth, the sound was still quite loud.
It was merely a matter of time till someone called the guards to drag him away, thinking him to be insane.

Somehow, it was just his luck that all the good rocks were missing.
Most of the stones strewn about the road were mostly porous and weak.
Somehow, that time with the jeweller, he'd managed to find a really good stone.

Thunk!
The sudden resistance in his hand snapped Albert back to the present.
Frowning, he struck again.
Thump!
He grinned. He'd found a good stone.
It appeared to be some sort of igneous rock, hard and rigid. Perfect!

He began frantically hitting with harder force, trying to break it into smaller bits to grind it up.
If the neighbours didn't already think him to be crazy, they'd certainly do so now.

Taking the broken bits, he ground them into a fine powder.
He grumbled several times during the proccess. He grunted with physical exertion, barely managing to prepare the stone into a usable form.

He began preparations to distill the stone's hardness property.

He had been refining the practice of potion making over the past 2 weeks.
It was the day of his deadline, this was his final attempt. All or nothing.
That angry looking scholar had given him 2 weeks to finish his project.
Albert hadn't had a wink of sleep. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were sunken and baggy and his breath smelt of death.

Fortunately, he had managed to finish the formula in time. He hoped.
The problem was, last time he had tried to make a potion the way he imbued properties into materials.
He hadn't accounted for the fact that the body likes to reject anything it considers foreign.
The trick was not to create a potion that was permanent, but rather had temporary effects.
This way, the body wouldn't have a sudden reaction to the 'impurity', and would instead pass through the body and be excreted as waste.

It was a shame though, it'd be nice to permanently be as strong as stone.

The beaker hissed and changed colour, coming off with a greenish tint.
Ah, good. Probably means there was a high iron concentration, explaining its high hardness.

He poured the contents into different tubes, capping them with rubber stoppers just incase it fell down or vapourised or something. He'd spent too much time on this project to be careless now.

'Here goes nothing' he mumbled, raising the last remaining bit of potion in the beaker up to his lips.

It tasted like nothing. Maybe he should add some cherry flavouring next time.

So....did it work?
He pinched his skin. It felt completely normal. Hm.
He picked up one of the kitchen knives, experimentally poking his skin.

The tip of the knife bounced off the flesh, as if hitting solid rock.
He grinned, pressing a little harder.
Skrkk!
The blade scraped against his skin, tracing out a a white line where he dragged the tip. His skin was rather dry wasn't it?

'Whew! Okay. One more test'
Albert was sweating bullets in excitement. He needed to push his experimentation to its limit. His scientific curiousity demanded it!

He propped his arm on the table and push the knife against it, steadily increasing pressure.
He laughed out loud, rocking his body as he pressed harder and harder.

He withdrew the knife, standing up straight, looking into the ceiling before exclaiming.
'Hahaha! Take that! I made a potion! I made a working potion!
What do you have to say to that now Mr. Scholar?'
He grinned, eyes closed. He didn't care if the neighbours complained about his shouting or walked by and saw him with a knife in his hands, looking at the ceiling. This was his moment of triumph, another step of progress in Alchemy.
Nothing could take it away now!
word count: 752
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Devin
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

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On the 37th of Ymiden, Devin thorn, thief, con man extraordinaire and priest of Delroth, walked down the streets of Scalvoris Town, dressed in fine silk, and with a huge smile on his face and a spring in his step. To-trial was the trial, the trial that he would finally get his potion. He couldn’t wait to find out what Albert had made for him. A potion that would turn his skin as hard as stone and make him pretty much unkillable? A potion that would allow him to walk through a fire without getting burnt? An invisibility potion so that he could finally break into houses without having to worry about getting caught? A potion that would allow him to see what people looked like under their clothes?

He could already see the alchemist’s house in the distance. This time there was no smoke, and it didn’t smell like a trash heap on fire either. Encouraged by that good sign, he quickened his pace and finally walked up to the door, whistling happily because he was so incredibly excited. He had just pushed the door open and was about to cross the threshold when he heard somebody scream. He instantly froze.

For a moment he just stood there, listening carefully, and then he snuck inside, trying to make as little noise as possible in case whatever was going on inside the house was dangerous. He reached for his sword, only to realize that it wasn’t at his belt because he’d forgotten it at home again.

As he saw the alchemist standing in the center of the room, brandishing a knife and looking at the ceiling wild-eyed, he stopped dead in his tracks. His heart began to pound madly in his chest, and he just stared at him for a few trills, not quite comprehending what was happening, before he blurted out, “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”
word count: 328

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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Albert Magnus
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

Albert quickly whipped around, hiding the knife behind his back.
‘O-Oh. Er. Its you!
I was simply…er…celebrating my new creation!
A potion that can grant the user flesh of rock!’
He walked over to one of the test tube racks, taking a tiny shot-glass sized vial and simultaneously discreetly placing the kitchen knife on the counter.
He brandished the vial, waving his other hand with flourish around it, presenting it as if it was the greatest thing ever.
‘This thing really worked! Its kind of ingenious really. My flesh has all gained the hardness of stone relative to one another, so my flesh feels like normal flesh to me.
Good thing too. If my flesh had been turned to stone completely, I’d be paralyzed.
Probably wont be able to move a muscle or breathe!’
He laughed at his own intelligence and luck, then suddenly frowned as he realised how close he came to dying to his own creation.
Maybe he should consider doing animal trials next time.

He shook his head, focusing back on the topic at hand.
‘I made enough for 5 doses. You can take 3, I can always make more.’
Albert grinned at him, as if to say; ‘I did it! I managed to make a working potion in 2 weeks! Beat that Mr. Scholar.’
A prodigy has got to have a little pride after all….
word count: 234
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Devin
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

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“Oh“, Devin made as Albert explained that he had been celebrating his new creation and followed him over to the test tube rack, eyeing the contents of the alchemist’s home with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion as he did so. He extended a hand towards a bowl that was filled with rock shards that looked especially strange, about to poke them, but then he changed his mind because he didn’t know what touching the stuff would do to him. Maybe his fingers would fall off – or maybe he’d grow warts all over his hands! He liked his hands the way they were. They were really nice-looking hands!

“That’s a really useful potion!” he remarked as Albert told him what he had made and pictured himself fighting a superior opponent that stabbed him in the chest – only for his sword to break in half because his body was as hard as stone. He also pictured himself quickly drawing his own sword (in his daydreams he never forgot his weapon at home) and stabbing his opponent who immediately slumped to the ground, bleeding everywhere. He liked that image so much that he grinned all over his face for a moment, only to grow serious again a few trills later as he suddenly remembered what had happened the last time Albert had claimed that he had made a great potion. He didn’t want that to happen ever again!

He looked at the vial in Albert’s hand for a moment, and then he told him in no uncertain terms, “Prove it! Drink the potion and stab yourself! When we last met, you gave me a potion that makes you really sick instead of rendering you odorless. I’d rather not vomit again. You look ugly when you vomit, and I don’t like the taste that you have in your mouth afterwards either”, he informed the alchemist and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for Albert to do exactly what he said.
word count: 339

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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Albert Magnus
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

Albert watched with glee as the Scholar was blown away by his newest creation. Good thing he amped up his ambition and created a potion much, much more impressive than his last attempt; the potion to hide his scent.
He supressed a laugh as he watched him tentatively inspect the remains of the potion making process, wearing an expression of fear and awe. Did he think the rocks were magical or something?

He frowned when Devin asked him to drink the potion.
‘I already did. Look!’ He quickly retrieved the knife and pressed it to his hand.
He swung his arm hard, stabbing his hand with the blade. There were several grating noises and a sharp crack as the tip of the blade broke off.
‘Agh! Dammit. Im going to have to buy a new knife’

He put the knife back, and bent down to pick up the broken tip of the blade.
‘ Believe me now, Mr. Scholar? This is barely scratching the surface of what I could do with potions.
Now that I have learned how to make them, imagine the possibilities.
I should write a book. Maybe open up a proper shop or something…’

Albert stroked his chin as he pondered this, daydreaming of a shop with assistants. Maybe an apprentice or two of his own!
word count: 218
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Devin
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

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As Albert grabbed a knife and proceeded to stab himself, Devin’s eyes widened until they were the size of saucers and threatened to drop out of their sockets. “Wow”, he made, because he was incapable of anything else at the moment – what Albert had done had rendered him nearly speechless. A moment later, he knelt down in front of the alchemist though, quickly picked up the tip that had broken off of the blade and took a close look at it, furrowing his brow very hard as he did so. He knew from experience that he couldn’t always trust what you were seeing – he had already conned dozens of people and employed all kinds of mean little tricks!

Maybe the alchemist had used an extra brittle knife, and if he, Devin, drank the potion, nothing would happen. He poked the piece of metal in his hands, he shook it, and he nearly licked it as well in order to see if it tasted like metal. Finally, he put it away, and nodded. “How long did you say the effect of the potion will last?” he asked because the potion would still be useless if it worked, but his skin was only as hard as stone for a few bits.

“I know that I shouldn't say that, being a scholar myself, but books are boring, and hardly anybody makes money with them”, he remarked as he heard Albert’s plans. “Trust me, I’ve read a few, and I almost wrote one as well. You should open a shop – or a circus, with the man whose skin is as hard as stone and whom no ordinary blade can wound as the main act. You’d make a fortune, and you’d drive that idiot Peytr out of business in no time!” he said. His eyes shimmered brightly as he said that. He wasn’t too fond of Peytr Lovan who owned the only alchemist’s shop of note in Scalvoris. In fact, he hated him!

“Can I have my share of the potion, by the way?” he asked and extended a hand towards Albert. The man had promised him three doses, and he wanted them now!
word count: 368

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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Albert Magnus
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

A circus? Might be a hassle to manage, but with the right set up he could-

Ah. Ah! He was getting sidetracked again.
'Your potions? Right, right!'
Albert walked over to his vial rack, carefully picking out the vials from the vial rack.

He suddenly noticed one of the vials was the wrong color.
'Ah! Waitwaitwait-'
He turned sheepishly, replacing the vials.
'These are the right ones...I think.
Hmm, yes they are the right colour.
The other one might have been some juice I collected earlier from some mold...samples.'
He didn't want to talk about his earlier experiment. He was getting desperate and in the end he resorted to....a rather pathetic attempt at making a potion that would allow you to eat anything organic.
He could still taste the mold...

He handed him 3 small stoppered vials of the greenish liquid.

'Who is this...Petyr Lovan anyway?'
He half mumbled to himself. A circus manager that might oppose his circus plans?
The name might've sounded familliar as being one of the notable alchemy shops, considering Albert's fondness for Alchemy, but unfortunately he spent most of his time locked up in his own home. Besides, he'd never bother remembering the name of an alchemy shop when he can just as easily do it himself. Such was his pride as an Alchemist.


'Whoever he is, he is gonna hear the name Albert Magnus alot more often!'
He grinned at his friend, knowing this was true.
Unlike most Alchemists, Albert didn't quite yet have the luxury of flamboyant ingredients or large sets of equipment. He had learned all he learned from scraps of his father's old lab, and bits and pieces he found from scavenging around the neighbourhood and in his home.
Imagine what he could do on a real budget!

'Say, you never really did give me your name did you?'
word count: 318
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Devin
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

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As Albert walked over to the vial rack, Devin followed him because he still didn’t trust the alchemist entirely and took a closer look at the vials. When the man informed him what the vial he’d accidentally picked contained, his eyes widened for the second time in about as many bits.

“Mold?” he asked and suppressed a shudder because he absolutely didn’t like mold. “Is it the mold from that chair over there?” he wanted to know and pointed at the chair in question. From what he could see, Albert still hadn’t replaced his half-rotten furniture. “What are you doing with it anyway? You aren’t really going to drink it, are you? I’m not a doctor, but even I know that drinking mold isn’t good for your health!” he proclaimed.

For a moment he wondered if he should really accept Albert’s potion – the man rather reminded him of his enemy at the moment - but then he recalled that it had worked and that the alchemist hadn’t suffered any ill effects, so he quickly pocketed the vials before he turned to face him again.

“Peytr Lovan is another alchemist”, he replied. “He gave me a potion that made me cough up hairballs and grow huge, disgusting boils on my head once. He almost killed me, and he needs to be stopped!” he informed him. What he didn’t tell Albert was that he had volunteered to be Peytr’s test subject and try out his newest potion.

“Albert Magnus?” he asked and furrowed his brow. “You need a more impressive name if you want to become famous!” he told him. “At least call yourself Albert Magnus the Third or something like that so that people think that your family are rich.”

“As for me”,
he said and wondered which of his many aliases he should use before he decided to use his real name, kind of, because he was currently not in disguise. He wasn’t even wearing a wig, and besides, he had already told a few other people in Scalvoris that he was a scientist even though he really wasn’t. “I’m Devin Thorn, from Oakleigh in the Eastern Settlement. My family have made a fortune growing medicinal plants”, he claimed because the truth just wasn’t impressive enough.

Devin didn’t come from a rich family. He didn’t even come from Oakleigh. His father was a laborer in the poorest part of Andaris, and when he had been a child, he sometimes hadn’t had enough to eat – which he had vowed never to tell anybody because it was embarrassing.
word count: 444

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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Albert Magnus
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Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2018 4:39 am
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

Albert’s eyes widened. He shook his head, angry at Petyr Lovan. He sounded like a total villain!
‘What kind of good for nothing Alchemist puts other people in harms way?’ He said, completely ignoring his last attempt at potion making. He reasoned that he wasn’t as skilled, rich or as notable as Petyr, and that with any of those things he could have done a better job.
Yeah, that was it! He wasn’t being hypocritical, he was just being….
He mentally sighed. It was better not to think about his last failure. It ruined the mood of his latest success.

‘As for having an impressive name? Hm…’ Albert stroked his beard.
‘I don’t like the idea of lying about my name. But I do suppose I could add some sort of flourish to my name. Something eyecatching. Something….’ He shrugged, completely devoid of any good ideas. Maybe something would come to him.

‘Anyway, It’s nice to meet you Mr Thorn. I don’t think I would have been able to progress as fast as I did were it not for your deadline. It was honestly quite a miracle I managed to do it at all.’
Albert grinned. So Mr Scholar dealt with medicinal plants? That could be pretty useful. If he could establish Devin as a contact, he’d have a good source of research material.
I mean, Devin had seen first hand what he could do with backyard materials and half of a lab set.
Either way, Albert thought, he would have to make sure Devin would keep coming. If anything, the scholar’s presence seemed to be conducive for Alchemical progress.
‘At any rate, If you ever come across some interesting material, or have a need for my services, please don’t hesitate to come by. I don’t charge much, since I’m mostly an academic alchemist, and I certainly won’t make you cough hairballs like a certain someone we know.
He whispered the last part conspirationally, a rapport being made by the in-joke.
Well, atleast on Albert’s side.
word count: 350
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Devin
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Re: [Devin] The Next Step

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“It wouldn’t really be lying“, Devin disagreed. “You’d just be adding something to your name! That’s not the same as lying! You could also become Albert Magnus the Great or the Amazing Albert Magnus the Great, if you decide to go with my circus idea though”, he suggested and grinned at the other man. “That would be a fantastic name for a circus owner! People would practically flock to your shows!” he claimed. He could already see Albert, standing in the circus ring and bowing to the people who applauded loudly – and him, the man who had made everything possible!

As Albert stated that he wouldn’t have been able to progress as fast as he had if it hadn’t been for his deadline, Devin did a double take and wondered if he was hallucinating for a moment. He had thought that the man would be mad at him because he had threatened him, that he would tell him to leave right now and that he hoped that he would never see him again, but not that. He looked at him for a moment, and then he said, smirking, “You’re welcome. If you ever need someone to help you progress again, let me know. I’ll be glad to help!”

“That’s good to know”,
he remarked as Albert told him that he wouldn’t make him cough up hairballs and extended his right hand for the alchemist to shake. He’d had his doubts about the man – in fact, he had had huge doubts because of the state of his home and the fact that he used dirt and mold and other questionable substances for his potions – but apparently, he had been wrong about him. The alchemist was quickly turning out to be a very useful contact! “I’ll definitely stop by again!” he promised him before he bade him farewell and walked out of the door, grinning, because he couldn’t wait to try out his new potions!
word count: 335

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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