Dangers of Alchemy

The fox with its smooth grey fur looked each of the students over with it's pure black eyes as if trying to bore into the depths of their souls before focusing back on the professor of the course. There was a silent communication happening, Jien could tell by the interaction between their eyes. After a few long moments where the emerald eyed teacher remained absolutely silent in 'discussion' with the oddly colored fox she sighed lightly with what could only be described as annoyance before facing her students and in a much flatter tone adding "And this is Mo-Zyla, my companion and second set of eyes in teaching this class. She will be ensuring that no accidents occur once we get into live experiments."

Though the fox seemed mildly upset with the unenthusiastic introduction she still raised her chin proudly and practically pranced back between the tables before taking a seat there so that she could have a better eye on Jien and his unit. Professor Everhart ignored this entirely as she moved around her table and pointed to the several cauldrons that laid on it's surface. All of them were simple looking and most were iron but there were two that were silver and bronze colored respectively. Each of them had a lid over their top and the professor carefully removed each, unleashing a number of differently colored and scented clouds of steam into the space.

"Today we will be covering some of the very most basic topics of alchemy and potioneering. I don't expect you to know everything there is to know or be proficient in the art that is alchemy, but here you will at least learn to be proficient in its base principles." Her words were clear this time and didn't require whatever influence had spread her softer tone earlier. Jien removed a small pad of paper and pen from his bag in preparation for what was to come.

"First off let me preface with the fact that there are two ideologies regarding alchemy. One is that it is a science and finding the correct formula to follow will allow you to brew any and every potion. The other is that alchemy is an art and one must be willing to act as an artist just as a cook may, to be able to make their potion and make it shine." She paused here and scanned over her students with a serious expression. "There is truth to both of these ideologies, just as both are not entirely accurate."

"The basis of any potion, salve or concoction is a blend of ingredients. The science is in finding the best ingredients for the mixture you want, the art is in how you best isolate the properties you want the concoction to contain and then how you mix them." She pointed to the small silver cauldron that sat on a tall wire stand, a small flame burning from the table keeping it only lightly warmed. From its top came a light orange steam that carried a scent similar to citrus but not quite. "In this cauldron is a potion that is known for inducing euphoria. One small dose in the size of a drop or two can make the recipient feel giddy, four to five make them impressionable due to severe excitement, six or more can lead to the heart giving out from overexertion." Her words were calm, if perhaps a little cool but the implications of what she had said were a wake up call to those that knew little about alchemy.

The cauldron was smaller than the others on the table, perhaps holding at most two cups of the liquid in question. With that too cups they could all die and it wasn't even mentioned yet whether the potion could be put in food or drink. The fact that someone could use it to make them so happy as to be impressionable was concerning as well. Imagine being trusted with secrets regarding missions or other important information and then being made so happy that you are willing to tell your enemy everything. As the implications burned in their minds Professor Everhart smiled at their furrowed brows and nodded with satisfaction.

"Excellent, you seem to understand one of the main principles that I am tasked to drill into your minds. No potion is harmless and understanding how to use it correctly is paramount. Not only will it save you from harming others unless you need to, it will also save you from being tricked or put into predicaments that you won't be able to escape. Every potion you brew during this course you will be learning from the ground up and in multiple forms. Each mixture can generally be made with different ingredients to get a similar effect and I want you to at the very least understand two variations of every concoction I teach. This will allow you to use what is at hand in the field if needed."

The professor put a lid on the cauldron once again to ensure the vapors didn't spread too much in the surroundings. She didn't want a repeat of a prior lesson, watching all her students end up in a giggling fit before needing to leave the space and get some fresh air. "This on the other hand" she stated while pointing to the even smaller bronze cauldron "is a healing potion that with a single drop ingested will truly heal any wound to near perfection, well, as long as the recipient lives long enough for the process to occur."

"The downside of the potion is that it is only enhancing your bodies processes. In other words it will heal the wound almost like your body would if it was left to heal naturally with no outside influence such as illness from exposure etc. However, the fuel for healing your body is also taken from your body, meaning it will eat away at you to allow your body to heal." She took a small dropper from her desk and used it to pull a small amount of the liquid and dump it into a small clear vial, revealing its bright green color to the class. "The person that with my guidance is able to brew a simple bloodstop salve the best by the end of this course will get this vial."