Chapter 108: Secret Analysis
Alex carefully shifted the sack that held the dungeon cores remains from his belt and slipped it into one of the leather pockets of hisb apron.
He nced at Amir whod taken a seat at the far end of the Cell and was pouring over notesid out in front of him. The grad student kept looking up at Alex, dividing his attention between his notes and the younger student.
Alex nodded at him, but made a sour face behind his mask. When hed seen how scattered Amir was, hed hoped that the supervisor wouldnt pay much attention to him during theb. Unfortunately, Amir was multitasking while regrly checking on Alex.
Well, Alex would have to examine the dungeon core the hard way, then.
Hed concocted a n while they were getting the equipment from the supply room: first, Alex would subtly prepare the sample of core remains. Then, hed run some analysis on it while he was analyzing ingredients for the potion by slipping some into the testing apparatuses in-between the ingredients he was actually <em>supposed</em> to be analyzing for thisb.
To Amiracross the roomit would just look like Alex was doing the work he was supposed to do. He wouldnt be the wiser unless Alex screwed up, or something unexpected happened, or the grad student randomly sprinted over to check on the experiment and demanded to know: <em>What the hell is that?!,</em>when he saw the dungeon cores remains.
The downside was that hed only be able to use the apparatuses that were required for the assigned experiment: a mana spectrometer and Kamookaks Moss. They would test a substancesposition and toxicity respectively; hed used them a number of times, including during theb where his ssmate drank quicksilver. Other equipmentthat could test different aspects of the remainswerent taken out for him this time since they werent necessary for this experiment. Hed have to n on using those when he got ess to them for future experiments.
He also wouldnt be able to get many tries at the analysis today.
Mana spectrometers were run at different times depending on a substancesposition. The moreplex the substance, the longer a spectrometer would have to run in order to break it down and indicate what elements it wasposed of. The issue was that running it for <em>too</em> long would often break a substance down too much and not generate any usable data. It would be like taking apart arge piece of wooden furniture to transport it: if the furniture wasnt broken down enough, then it would never fit through doorways. If it was broken down too much, it would just be splinters: no one would have any idea how those splinters fit together to make up the piece of furniture.
It would be the same with a mana spectrometer: instead of coloured bands to indicate a substancesposition, the read-out would just be a chaotic array of tiny dots.
With unknown substrates, it was best practice to use a variety of set times when using a mana spectrometer for analysis, making an educated guess as to what time would be a good starting point. For example, if one had a simple substance to analyze, they might start off with running the spectrometer for twenty-one secondsthe rmended time for first-tier potionsand if that didnt break down the substance into all of itsponent elements, then the next step would be running it at the rmended time for second-tier potions, which was thirty-one seconds. Or the time for third-tier potions, which was thirty-eight seconds and so on.
The trouble was that figuring out how long to analyze the dungeon cores remains would be a practice of trial and error, and if he kept running the mana spectrometer half a dozen times without a proper exnation, that would very likely raise some ufortable questions and an eyebrow from Amir. There was also the danger that the substance might be tooplex to practically run it through this model of mana spectrometer: moreplex substances took increasingly longer times for mana spectrometers to break down. A ninth-tier potion would take nearly six hours to analyze with this model, which was why more high-powered models were used with moreplex substances.
He could only hope that the dungeon cores remains would be simple enough to analyze and that it wouldnt take suspiciously long, but only trial and error would determine that.
First things first, though. He would use Kamookaks Moss to determine its toxicity, and for that, he would need to either melt the dust, or use a magical solvent to make it into a liquid.
He set his station up so that his mana vacuum was in the potion sk. Now came the first tricky part. Applying heat to the dust might have unforeseen effects, and he also had no idea if the mana solvent would react unexpectedly with it. The solvent was safety rated to <em>not</em> react dangerously with most substances, but there was always a risk when mixing any unknown substance with anything else.
Well, that was what the mana vacuum, mask, goggles, apron and gloves were for.
Carefully, he undid the bag of dungeon core remains in his pocket and took a pinch of the powder with his gloved fingers. He thought back to when hed scooped up the substance with his bare hands back in The Cave of the Traveller: that had broken so many safety protocols that professor Jules would likely have had an aneurism if she knew.
He carefully dropped the dust into the sk, ncing over his shoulder and nearly jumping when he saw Amir looking right at him. Everything alright over there? the grad student asked.
Yep, Alex said quickly.
Good, good, Amir said contentedly, and went back to his work.
You literally were created by the gods to give me a heart attack, werent you? Alex thought grumpily as he weighed the substance, mentally subtracting the weight of the sk from the number the scales brass arrow pointed to.
Shifting the sk to the heat source, he activated it, bringing the me up to lick around the hardened ss.
He watched the dark powder for a couple of minutes, but the heat wouldnt melt it.
Alright, n B.
He took up the bottle of solvent and poured some of it into a test tube; he would use a volume of solvent equal to the weight of the dust. He turned off the burner, waited for the ss to cool, and then added the liquid.
<em>Hssssss!</em>
For a brief second, Alex thought he had killed himself.
The substance began hissing and steaming as it met the solvent; he imagined himself consumed by a horrible magical fireball. He kept his hand on the mana vacuum, watching as the reaction slowly died down.
What was that? Amir said suddenly.
Oh, just dropped a bit of water into the me. Stupid mistake, sorry, Alex said quickly.
Oh, well, be carefulbut it happens.
He heard the rustle of Amir going back to his own activities.
He let out a sigh of relief as the dungeon cores remains and the solventbined into a liquid that was as ck as night. Alex shuddered as he remembered the inky ckness of the dungeon core, and how it thrummed as it absorbed its victims fear. He set the liquified sample aside and started on the assigned procedure for crafting a Potion of Haste.
ncing at the time, he began nning how toplete each step of the procedure efficiently to get things done as quickly as possible. He was very conscious that he could run out of time, and that The Cell was booked for right after him. So, hed have to finish everything <em>and</em> have it all cleaned up before time ran out.
Luckily, even though the Potion of Haste was more powerful than anything hed made before, it had many core simrities to the Potion of Running Enhancement. He went through those steps quickly, applying the solvent to the solid ingredients for the potionwhich didnt hiss loudly, he noted bitterlyand then used his mana conductor to guide the reaction in the proper direction.
As he continued stirring the substance, he conjured a pair of Wizards Hands in front of him and willed them to begin the clean up. The magical constructs carefully carried some of the dirty tools that he no longer needed to the sink across the room.
He heard Amir give a grunt of approval. Very good, we might finish on time if you clean up while youre guiding the reaction.
Thats the n! Alex said with exaggerated cheer.
Once his magical hands had returned, he started using them for their <em>real</em>purpose.
Carefully, he scraped away a portion of Kamookaks Moss from the steel jar it was stored in and applied it to a small, coin-sized sample te. He casually shifted his body so that it was well ced between Amir and his spell, then he willed Wizards Hand to take up a dropper and draw a sample of the liquified dungeon core remains. Carefully, he dropped a few drops onto the moss and waited for any colour change.
His jaw clenched when the moss changed from its normal blue shade to a yellow-green. That indicated that there was a slight toxicity to the substance, but not to dangerous levels. Sterilizing alcohol also made Kamookaks Moss turn that colour: it meant that the substance could be handled, even have skin contact with, but ingesting it would likely be a terrible idea.
Alex was very d hed had his mask on when the stuff started hissing. Next, would be running it through the mana spectrometer, but that would have to wait until he was testing the potionsposition.
He used Wizards Hand to carry the moss sample to the disposal bin, then returned his attention to the brewing Potion of Haste, ncing again at the glowing timekeeper on the wall. Ironically, a potion that doubled his speed in all things would have been <em>very </em>handy at the moment.
<em>Hsssss!</em>
He gasped, ncing down; his potion was hissing ominously in the sk. Something it definitely shouldnt have been doing.
Oh shit!
His eyes grew wide as the liquid began to climb the sides of the sk and glow with a silvery light. Without hesitation, he hit the switch on the mana vacuum, watching as the energy was sucked out of the reaction and into the mana waste container. The energy still glowed in the container.
The substancenow without mana to fuel the magical reactionimmediately stopped climbing the sk. It merely boiled as me continued to heat it; Alex cut the heat immediately.
Damn it, he swore.
What happened? Alex heard a chair scrape and footsteps begin to move behind him. Almost in a panic, he grabbed the sk with the dungeon cores liquified sample and moved it behind the mana spectrometer, sliding it between the device and the protective shield that rose from the back of the work table.
He turned to Amir, making sure to get his attention. Agh, reaction got away from me. Had to vacuum it.
Ah, that happens to the best of us. Amir squinted at the sk of iplete potion. What step were you on?
Moving his body slightly so that it was between Amir and the mana spectrometer, he described the part of the reaction hed been guiding when things began to get out of hand. Listening to Alexs exnation intently, Amirs eyes lit up behind his mask.
Thats it, Amir said. Swiftlings Tears break down a lot faster than quicksilver, so if you dont control specifically how they take in mana, theyll get away from you.
Oooh, Alex groaned.
Its a finicky ingredient. Amir shrugged. And this is your first time brewing a third-tier potion, right? Thats the point of doing this in ab: you can make mistakes, learn from them and get better. If wed gotten alchemy right the first time we tried something, we wouldnt need a school for it. Start again, and use the mana from the first reaction to fuel the second.
Yeah, got it, Alex said, ncing at the timekeeper as Amir walked back to his desk.
It was going to be close.
Quickly, he went through the earlier steps of the potion recipe again, using The Mark to guide him through all of his most sessful moments. This time, he made sure to focus <em>all</em> his attention on the reaction: trying to speed through the steps with his focus split had been a bad idea.
Rookie mistake.
He took a deep, meditative breath and guided the reaction through its steps, acknowledging each distracting thought that came to him and then letting them go.
This time, the potion went as per procedure andsoon enoughhe had aplete Potion of Haste on his hands. Now came the sneaky part.
He decided to run the dungeon core sample through the mana spectrometer first, running the spectrometer for the same amount of time as he would for a third-tier potion. It would be the least conspicuous way to start, since a Potion of Haste was third-tier and so hed be running it for that length of time too.
Adding the ck substance to the mana spectrometer, he waited thirty-eight seconds, nervously tapping the desk. That half a minute felt more like half a day, and he nearly pounced on the mana spectrometer when the process finished.
Taking out the sample and the paper read out for the dungeon core sample, next he ced some of thepleted Potion of Haste into the mana spectrometer. Letting out a sigh of relief at getting the process for the dungeon core finished, he nced down at the results, making a quiet sound of discontent.
A lot of the read-out was a slurry of multiple shades; only some of it hade out as the coloured bars that indicated a substancesposition. Hed need to run the spectrometer longer to fully break down what the dungeon core was made of.
He sighed, nearly about to put the paper down when he paused. Focusing more closely on the coloured bars, he realized something about the pattern.
His eyes went wide.
Hed seen thisposition before.