371 - Dangerous Methods Pt. 3 [Sturmblitz]

Kanberich laughed.

“Please, take mercy on my old bones. That trick I pulled back there was exhausting enough, you want me to take you back and then here again? Then carry out the rite and bring the both of you back again?” he complained, almost visibly withering right before Zel’s eyes.

The old monster dropped the act before Zel could voice her doubt, adding: “Just give me a moment. I do need to rest.”

He brought a bottle of Tengri’s Tears, a smaller sealed-up bottle that rattled, and an entire box meal damn near identical to those Ozmir supplied to her. When he opened it, indeed, it was a hunk of dragon-flesh with culca leaves on the side and some indistinguishable third thing, a yellow root vegetable of some kind. 

After thoroughly chewing the first mouthful, he upended the pill bottle and shook three shiny-red marbles into his mouth, crushing them with his teeth before flushing it all with a hefty swig. A long sigh of relief and green flame followed. Almost right away, some of his formerly-regal presence returned.

“I wish I could say I’m still as strong as I was in my prime, but… Well, I already went over that earlier,” he said, cutting another hunk of meat.

After a moment of consideration, Zelsys decided to match her host and brought out her own meal. It was a leftover from the Borea provisions, but it was still not only good, it was still warm, and dragon meat all the time got to be a little much even for her. It also constantly made her dream of fighting dragons as she digested it both physically and spiritually, but this wasn’t a downside in her mind.

“Actually, why are you in this state? I don’t believe it’s just old age, and you’re not just rusty. Call it a gut feeling,” Zel prodded.

Nodding, Kanberich swallowed another mouthful. He eyed the pill bottle, but left it be. After a moment of silence, he simply stated the truth as it was, with no embellishments or hesitation:

“We sacrificed our cultivation. Some of us did so literally, either in the process of burying the Ziggurat or in the ritual of erasing it from notice. Others, like Toza and I, burned their candles in the process of ensuring the Ziggurat could be buried. What Zefaris met on that battlefield… To say it was Toza galls me to no end. It was merely his ghost, still wandering in the flesh, looking for someone worthy to pass his method onto. Back then, Toza paid with his sight and his fate as an unparalleled prodigy of the sword, exchanging it for a phantom sword capable of cutting down anything and anyone, regardless of cultivation level. Toza inflicted Tian Feng with a crippling wound that day. I believe with all my being that wound is the reason the wax-faced bastard has been stuck, unable to advance, for all these centuries, despite all the resources he gobbles up. As for myself… I did no such glamorous thing. I burned my flame keeping this land safe from his Divine Generals — the original ones. The ones who conquered Ikesia alongside him, and whom he purged the moment they were no longer needed. After all was done, I sealed what was left of my cultivation in pieces here and there, hoping to one day recover it.”

A bitter, yet also amused grin took hold on his face.

“As I am now, reabsorbing one of those shards would make me pop like an overripe grape,” he added, returning to his meal.

They continued to eat together, and once done, Kanberich finally took Zelsys back to Willowdale.

_______________________________________________________________

“Huh? The Lesser Bolus? Can it not wait even a few days? If it’s for you, we could probably afford an unrefined Greater Bolus. It’ll wreak havoc, but nothing compared to directly refining Eisengeist’s blood the way you did…” Makhus questioned, eventually drifting into his own thoughts.

Zel cut him off: “It’s for Victor, and it’s as a supporting elixir for an unrelated cultivation method — not its intended purpose, even if it does fit. The Lesser Dragonheart Bolus is already pushing it.”

“I don’t doubt your judgment, but… Could you elaborate? I may be able to make adjustments to the bolus at least. I am also terribly curious.”

While this was Makhus’ private laboratory, a small handful of other alchemists were present, assisting him with the final stages of the True Dragonheart Bolus. Therefore, Zelsys acquiesced with a condition: “In private.”

Makhus nodded, sternly commanding his assistants to be particularly careful while he was gone. With that, they made their way to Zel’s quarters, and she relayed everything pertaining to Victor’s issue and the method by which she intended to help resolve it. It took Makhus a few minutes to process everything, but he eventually came around.

“So the purpose of the bolus is to bolster this dragonstain… Yes, I suppose it would be best to use the safest version. Still, some adjustments ought to be made. Besides the bare minimum of dialing it in for Victor’s physiology. Do you remember anything from your body reconstruction bath? It would be the closest point of comparison I have, and helpful to cross-reference with the Burning Man Manuscript besides.”

Once more, Zelsys spoke at length, this time on the ordeal of subsuming and subduing Eisengeist’s blood.

“I see. Mental stabilizers, painkillers, some culca leaf as binder… Just grind it down and reconstitute the mass…” the alchemist muttered.

“Will that not compromise the pill?” Zel asked.

“If it was the True Bolus, yes, but if I’m careful I can reverse the congealment and re-congeal the modified bolus without any loss of potency,” Makhus said. “The Lesser and Greater Dragonheart Bolus both have to be metabolized inside the user’s body like any elixir, whereas the True Dragonheart Bolus is closer to an artifact than a pill, to be implanted inside the user’s heart. A human dragonstone of sorts. The lesser boluses can lead to the development of a similar organ, but the odds are much lower, and it takes multiple doses over a longer period — so the manuscript says.”

“How long?” Zel asked.

“Half an hour, at most. Victor is easy to adjust for,” Makhus said, confidently.

It took the better part of an hour, but it was done. The Lesser Dragonheart Bolus was a sphere about the size of a plum, composed of grainy, purple substance with streaks of blue and yellow. Makhus wrapped it in a long seal, and after promising to take mental notes on Victor’s reaction to the elixir, Zelsys was on her way.