The Siege of Ultopja 13 – The Alchemic Gardens [Catherine]

The Alchemical Gardens lay at the heart of the Aclysia district. A giant, hexagonal, wall like building with three floors that surrounded a bunch of smaller fields on the inside. The fields currently lay barren, safe for the few crops that grow in the winter, most of the plants they could gather in the short time before the siege being stored in magically temperature regulated rooms under the glass ceiling. The ceiling was not originally out of glass but an experiment of Aclysia and Ulal that just recently started. Currently it seemed to work.

Catherine is currently walking through one of these many rooms together with the chief botanic. The man was in far progressed age, his white hair thin and his steps slow. He had gotten the job exactly because of this, his physical weakness allowing him to do next to nothing else, not because of his skills with plants. Which is why he was carrying the catalogue of plants with him.

Catherine herself has also grabbed a decipher code for the Helenic System from Aclysia before coming here, after all her tower is literally a stone toss away. The immortal had been working on some weird gemstone, but that was a matter for another day.

“This is the Arlone, a type of ivy used in light potions. You can make a tea from it’s roots.” Catherine stares at the boring looking green plant, mounted to the wall on a wooden frame. “Is it edible?” “Ehm.” The chief botanic continues reading. “Hates forests, normally grows on stone walls, prefers slight shade, hence the tinted glass, Lady Catherine.” She makes a dismissive gesture, “Just answer my question.”

This is maybe the twentieth time they played this game. The botanic only knows what the book can tell him and he always needs to read the whole article first before answering her questions. Infuriatingly enough she can npt just ditch him and take the book as he has perfect knowledge of the layout of the building. On her own, she would have to check every single chamber, not knowing which ones contained a plant and which do not.

The botanic continues to mumble on some trivia. “No, apparently its leaves are even slightly poisonous if consumed.” Catherine sighes, “Let’s continue then.” They open the door and step into the hallway, a boring, torch lit corridor. This continues for another hour or so before Catherine finally decides to stop.

As the botanic was reading something about a kind of small flower Catherine takes the book from it. “Okay, change of strategy.” She says. Reading the book at a much faster pace she starts to compile a list. “We will just check out the ones actually edible…this Caryon here for example, where have you stored that?” “Three rooms west.” The botanic says in a slightly hurt voice. Not only didn’t Lady Catherine, one of the most respected and esteemed people in the city, care enough to see the whole of his garden but she also used him as a lesser compass. To top it all off she is now writing into his precious catalogue. Writing books takes time after all.

“Get me there then. Time is of the essence.” Catherine says. “Younglings and their time.” The old man mumbled but walked ahead.

“Edible, but grows too slowly.” “Contains hallucinogens.” “Only in low amounts.” “Does not grow in the winter.” “Most people can’t digest it.”

“This is just fucking disgusting.” Catherine says after taking a bite of a plant that seemed promising, a small corncob. It tastes like a mixture of dry bread and dusty stone. She tosses the plant back into the box of dirt it came from.

“What else is left?” Catherine asks, “I am afraid that was the last one, Lady Catherine.” The botanic responds after going over the list Catherine had hastily written into the catalogue. “That is all of them?” She asks, unbelieving. “In Saeletra’s name.” The botanic makes a grimace, “Please, the Five don’t like that name.” “I don’t give a fuck about what the five think.” Catherine shoots back and crosses her arms. “Neither do I particularly care about Saeletra, just a bad habit from my childhood. Go over that list again.”

The botanic sighs and does as he is told. ‘If it comes down to it I guess this will do…it’s better than starving.” Catherine thinks and carefully picks up the corncob again. “No, the list is done.” The botanic says. “And that is everything you have stored? What about the plants in the fields?”

The botanic shakes his head. “These are all just for alchemical oils, not edible.” Catherine taps her foot on the ground repeatedly, her eyes downcast, her mouth hidden behind the hand she has raised to scratch her chin as she thinks. To take her mind of the increasingly darker thoughts the botanic says. “We still have the mushrooms I guess.”

The tapping stops. “The mushrooms?” She asks. “There were none in that catalogue.” “Yes, we only have a few and not particularly much rooms for them. They are in the dark rooms.” Catherine hesitates and then she smirks. “Get me there, right now.” “As you wish.”

Minutes later Catherine walks into the Dark Room. A very literal name, the room has no windows and therefore is pitch black. She ignites a small flame in her hand to look around. Different types of mushrooms grow on logs of wood, on stone or from dirt all over the room.

“Where? Ah, yes, there they are.” Catherine says and walks over to a log. The mushrooms on it are brown and black on the bottom. Growing in long, half-circular shapes they look rather boring on the piece of wood. “Jutz?” The botanic asks, “Why would you need these? We only use them to…to make potions more…tasteful…” The botanic already understands.

Catherine break of a small part of the mushrooms and throws it into her mouth. The consistency is different to what she is used to but it tastes good, slightly sweet even. “Exactly. How many more of these do you have?” “Only these, Lady Catherine.” The botanic says, “We can empty this room and grow them here that could feed a few people every few days. These mushrooms grow fast after all.”

Catherine hums, “Good idea, but we need to feed the whole city…you start with growing them here I will need more stock once I find a place to grow these.” The botanic just nods. “If you say so…but if I may ask, where do you think you will find enough room to grow enough for everyone?”

“There are caves all around us.” Catherine says and smiles. “But…the Siege is blocking our path.” “For now…well, just do what I asked of you, I will talk to the one person that holds the key.”