Experiment with Alchemy

With the breeding session over for the day, Kazex and his assigned broodmares were escorted back to their quarters, though once he reached his room, he approached his assigned guard for a request.

"Rhuksomi, please tell Her Highness that I want to request several things."

Rhuksomi sighed at Kazex's blatant request, "Is it a long list?"

"Unfortunately so," Kazex shrugged unapologetically.

"Name them," Rhuksomi beckoned.

Kazex proceeded to order the entire arsenal of apothecary's tools; a table, a pestle and mortar, and a shelf stocked to the brim with alchemical reagents. Rhuksomi finished writing the last of the items, then said to Kazex, "I'll forward your request to Her Highness Rhohesya, but please do not expect anything."

Kazex shrugged, "I can live with a smaller inventory."

Rhuksomi nodded and left the room, leaving Kazex alone with Ammaiss and Camyc.

"Wait!" Ammaiss suddenly called out.

Rhuksomi resisted the urge to groan in expasteration.

"Yes?"

"Um... can we also have a few books to read? Along with sewing equipment and silk?"

Rhuksomi wrote down the last few entries into his list.

"Is that all?" He inquired.

"No, Sir. That is all," Camyc nodded.

Rhuksomi grunted as he took his leave.

"You prefer knitting?" Kazex asked his broodmares.

"Yes. I mean... no," Camyc admitted, "I don't want to be here."

"To take your mind off things, then?"

"Yes. Mostly that," Camyc admitted.

"Ammaiss?"

"Same thing," Ammaiss nodded, "For now."

Kazex shrugged, "Whatever makes you content."

The next day, guards brought the requested items into their quarters, including every single asked-for alchemical reagent, much to Kazex's surprise. For the women, they had at least five different reels of colored thread to work with, and seven volumes of books to read ranging from fiction to non-fiction.

"That should be everything on the list," Rhuksomi stated, "Be grateful for Her Highness's generosity."

"Please tell her we are most certainly grateful, Rhuksomi," Kazex smiled.

Rhuksomi grunted then said, "However, for any and all potions, poultices and other things you make, Her Highness Rhohesya expects you to compile a list of all your creations and the complete list of all ingredients used for each one - their names, amount used, time for boiling, and so on.

"Of course. Whatever Her Highness desires," Kazex bowed, fighting to keep the sarcasm from lacing his words.

Once the guards left, Kazex saw that the women were already busy pilfering the books and fiddling with the thread, perhaps to knit themselves new scarves. Kazex shrugged and went on to examine the alchemical ingredients, thinking hard on what tincture to try making first.

"Let's see... some flowers and herbs, a few insects, maybe some fungus... there!"

He picked out a few ingredients and went to work pounding them in his pestle and mortar, then added liquid to mix them into a fine paste. Once done, he proceeded to boil the mixture in water over a cauldron, stirring and simmering over low heat, until it changed into a distinctly amber color. He lifted the cauldron from the heat and allowed it to cool down, before pouring them into the heat-treated glass flasks.

'Let's see what Her Highness and my women think of this new Fertility potion of mine.'

Kazex moved to write down his report, listing down what ingredients went into the Fertility potion and packed it for later delivery.

'Well, she did give me a full inventory of ingredients. Why not use as much as I can?'

And for the rest of the day, he went to work with his new alchemical lab, his troubles forgotten. The next day, he would put one of them to the test.