Chapter 156: Chapter 137: Catabolism

Cannoli and Agni worked earnestly over the iron pot while I watched nearby. Agni withdrew a large pouch from her [Cat Pack], then procured a handful of what looked like dark purple marbles.

“What are those?” Cannoli asked, eyes wide.

“Water’s precious out here. I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Agni chuckled. Holding her fist over the pot, she continued, “These are vesi seeds. With enough pressure—” She paused briefly and clenched her fist. A surprising amount of murky liquid seeped between her fingers and into the pot. “They make for a good broth.”

Cannoli gasped and leaned forward with her hands on her knees, watching the extract dribble into the pot. “But…won’t that take a lot of seeds to feed all of us?”

“Nope! These seeds an’ their flowers sap water from all nearby plants. So our pot’ll fill tha more veggies we add to the stew.”

“That’s amazing!” Cannoli exclaimed.

Tristan could use those to help out Shi Island, I think, I noted, recalling the food shortages in Catania.

“Flavor ain’t half bad either,” Agni added with a grin. “Better than starvin’, that’s for sure.”

“Oh! Let’s see!” Cannoli took a spoon—where did she get a spoon?—and held it beneath the dripping seeds. She stole a drop and popped the spoon in her mouth. “Hmm. Matt, may I use your spice pouch?”

“Yeah, sure.” I dug the bag from my [Cat Pack] and handed it to Cannoli. “Knock yourself out.”

Cannoli blushed. “W-what? Why would I do such a thing?”

I chuckled. “Sorry. It’s a saying. Use as much as you want.”

“O-oh.” Her blush deepened, and she picked at the strings on the spice pouch, avoiding my gaze. “Thanks.”

They worked tirelessly as the sun disappeared below the horizon, replaced by a nearly full moon. With Cannoli’s assistance, dinner smelled just as good as one of her homecooked meals, and I found my mouth watering. The stew simmered and carried a siren’s call of scents to the tent.

“Alright, folks. Supper’s up!” Agni called.

Keke and Ceres were already creeping toward the fire when she made the announcement. They flinched and Cannoli giggled. Ravyn, Destiny, Lara, and Tristan were soon to follow, their features at least somewhat refreshed from before.

Agni passed modest metal bowls amongst the group, and Cannoli served us each a helping of stew and a torn section of bread. We ate in companionable silence. Keke and I scarfed our meals in minutes while Tristan, Destiny, Lara, and Ceres were very polite in their bite sizes and eating speed. Cannoli and Ravyn sat off to the side, whispering to each other while feeding bits of bread and stew to Ball and Buttons. Every so often, I’d hear a giggle or a snicker from their direction, brightening the atmosphere.

“That was delicious, thank you.” Destiny patted her mouth with the corners of her apron. I wanted to mention that it’d been exposed to the elements all day but decided it’d be best if I left it alone. “Please don’t put out the fire yet. I’d like to use it.”

“Ah, no worries there, li’l lady. We’ll want it going til we get ta sleep,” Agni assured her. “Whatcha usin’ it for?”

“I’d like to use the [Alchemy] supplies we purchased earlier. I want to be prepared,” Destiny explained. “It’s easier if I don’t have to make a fire from scratch.”

“Fire’s moody anyway,” Lara murmured.

“How do you make potions without a lab, Destiny?” I wondered out loud.

“I use [Alchemical Fire], for one. It’s a Spell that allows me to adjust the temperature of an existing fire for my needs.”

“Huh. Like a stove,” Keke noted.

Destiny nodded. “Yes. My Class relies on my preparation of potions, venoms, and explosives, so I need to be able to create them on the go.”

“That’s pretty amazing,” I mused.

“Thanks.” Destiny smiled and unfastened her [Cat Pack] from her side. “Now, let’s see here.”

Destiny first unfolded a blue stretch of fabric at her knees, then laid the contents of her pack in a line from one edge to the other. A thermometer, two glass beakers, a large flask of water, an array of glass bottles, a dozen unfamiliar herbs, and a small copper pot with a thin hose jutting from its opening before bending down into a copper can.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to the copper pieces.

“An alembic,” Destiny said, touching it gently. When she noticed my confusion, she cleared her throat. “A-a portable distiller. Tri— young Master purchased it for me.”

Tristan, who had sat quietly sketching away to Lara’s right, suddenly snapped to attention. “I thought she may need it. You know, for the trip.” He looked from Destiny to me. “It didn’t cost very much, really.”

“But with the tax—” Destiny began.

“Glad we got it. Your potions are excellent,” he interrupted, then bent back over his sketchbook. “Thanks in advance, Destiny.”

Destiny pursed her lips but dropped the subject. 

Keke snickered next to me, her hand sliding across the small of my back. “They’re cute,” she whispered.

“Yeah.” Too bad we’re all sharing a tent tonight.

“Anyway. Nearly all alchemical creations require some kind of distillation. And a complete control of the temperature. Otherwise, you end up with sludge.”

There were a few potions that I’d crafted with Cannoli that had turned into a thick, unrecognizable muck. So I could at least sympathize. “Right. Makes sense.”

Cannoli perked up and scooted to Destiny’s side, peering over the tools with fascinated eyes. Buttons scrambled from her shoulder to her head, eyes glimmering in the firelight. “Um, is it okay if I watch?”

“O-of course!” Destiny stammered, her back straightening and saluting as if at attention. Cannoli flinched, and Destiny replied with a breathy chuckle, relaxing her shoulders. “Sorry. Guess my school habits never really wore off.”

“Did they test you a lot?” Keke asked.

“Mhm.” Destiny selected a few herbs, the water flask, and one glass bottle from the pile. “But, really, now’s the real test.” She took a deep breath, then approached the fire. Replacing the black pot with a smaller pan of her own, she rested her tail on her calves and tipped the water flask over the pan. “Let’s start with a few bottle grenades.”

Those sound lethal.

Keke inched forward on her knees, shooting me a sly smile before turning her attention to Destiny’s craft.

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Destiny’s [Alchemy] was a lot like the few times I’d participated in brewing, but way faster and more precise. Her hands and fingers moved and shifted with perfect precision, like a practiced musician at their instrument. She’d glance at the thermometer, close her eyes, and murmur a brief word that eased the flame’s heat.

“She doesn’t realize it, but she’s actually talking to Fire,” Lara whispered to Tristan. “Fire really likes her.”

“She’s easy to like,” Tristan replied, scratching a series of lines with his pencil into his sketchbook.

I don’t know if Destiny heard him, but her cheeks took on a pinker sheen than they had before. She meticulously tipped the brew into the copper alembic, then mouthed a silent count. The remaining droplets evaporated into steam on the pan while the rest bubbled cheerily in the distiller.

“Alright, that should be enough,” Destiny announced after a few heartbeats of silence. She tipped the copper can into a glass bottle and corked it. The bottle glowed a transparent ruby red in the firelight, like Kool-Aid. 

“That’s a grenade?” I asked, tilting my chin at the bottle.

“It is.” Destiny smiled.

“Very potent when used by a [Chemist], [Alchemist], or [Saboteur],” Ravyn said suddenly, surprising all of us.

“What if I threw it?” I didn’t want to. I was just curious.

…Okay. Maybe I wanted to throw it.

“It’d be like throwing a molotov cocktail,” Ravyn said flatly.

“A what?” Cannoli, Keke, and Agni asked.

“Didn’t know you knew that term,” I replied.

“Yeah, well, that’s what it’s like,” Ravyn snapped, forgoing any explanation for the others. “In the hands of the right Class, though, it’s devastating.”

Scary.

“Wow. It’s like every time you speak, Fire gets more agitated,” Lara said, looking at Ravyn. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to him?”

Ravyn growled and avoided Lara’s gaze.

“Erm, y-yeah. Well, my [Expedience] is only Level 1, so I’m still working on it,” Destiny said sheepishly. “But I’ll do my best! I want to carry my own!”

“What does [Expedience] do?” I asked.

“It makes everything I craft more effective. But at Level 1, it’s only ten percent.” Destiny scratched her head just behind her ears, her tail curling around her thighs. “Eventually, that’ll be fifty percent.”

“Hey, that’s still great,” I assured her. “Sounds like you’ll be a real help if we come face to face with any roaches out here.”

Destiny’s ears flicked, and her smile widened. “I’ll try!”

“Mattaku. I’m going to bed,” Ravyn announced.

“‘Afore we do that, we need ta decide who’s keeping watch,” Agni said, signaling Ravyn to stay a moment longer.

Keke nodded. “I’m sure there are a few nocturnal Encroachers who smelled dinner.”

“Well, I can go first. I have a lot to brew anyway,” Destiny volunteered.

“I’ll stay with Destiny,” Tristan immediately volunteered, then flushed. “I-it would be better if we do it in pairs anyway, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true,” I said, half amused and half wanting to help a guy out.

“Why don’t Keke and I take the next watch, then?” I offered. 

Keke nodded her assent.

“Cannoli, would you like to accompany the third watch with me?” Ceres asked.

“O-of course!” Cannoli said, flustered.

Ravyn looked at Lara, and her face fell. “Oh, come on, you guys.”

“Ravyn and I can discuss Fire on the next watch!” Lara replied eagerly.

A string of curses I dare not repeat fell from Ravyn’s lips. Lara didn’t seem to notice. The fire beneath Destiny’s pan suddenly emitted a loud crack and flared above the metal surface.

“Maybe you really are pissing Fire off,” I murmured.

“Shut. Up. Matt,” Ravyn snapped.

“I’ll take the last watch until we leave, then,” Agni said. “I know what’s out here. I can handle it myself.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I stood up and stretched, offering a hand to Keke. “Let’s get some sleep then?”

“Sure.” Keke took my hand and stood, brushing the sand from the back of her pants.

“Sweet dreams, folks,” Agni said with a wave. “And make sure to huddle close. The desert gets mighty cold at night.”