Web of Life Chap2

Chapter 3: Alchemist of Power, Kahlin1

Alchemy, Magick so strong,2

Power of herbs, power of leaves3

Come to me, potent Magick,4

Potions, Powers, Spells, and Salves5

Alchemy, Magick of Ancients,6

Twelve Masters, they unite7

When met, all together, a Force no greater found,8

They are the Alchemists, Mages of the Land.9

One day, ages ago, a young man by the name of Kahlin, destined for greatness, studied with the many Mages of Alchemy, in his local Academy headed up by one of the Twelve Masters. Kahlin was a curious, intelligent, powerful boy for his slight seventeen years. Kahlin had already mastered the creation of simple cures, such as boiled Acanthus root, steeped Carnativa leaves, others Alchemical mixtures like that. He was decent with a few explosives, such as Holly bombs, Snap roots, and a few others. He could not, however, for the life of him, work up a Bleeding Bloodroot Sap, a mixture of Bloodroot leaves, steeped, blood from the maker and victim, Explosive Sap, and a few other rare ingredients, which, when mixed, created a pasty sap that would cause gaping, bleeding flesh wounds to appear on the victim. 10

Not something most would want to make, you would think, but young Kahlin wanted, no, needed revenge. A young woman by the name of Annilei (Anna-lay), another student at the Academy, had poured Flaming Itch serum into his Final’s mixture, and the Head of the School, one of the Twelve Master’s, was the tester for the Final’s. After Kahlin’s mixture had been received, and drunken, Kahlin was put on demerit for a month and a half, shunned by every member of the Magick community, and the Bloodroot Sap seemed the most fitting revenge.11

Kahlin worked countless hours and days, but to no avail. He had finally given up on the vengeful project, and set off on a new topic: raising himself to the level of High Chemist. High Chemist’s were second rank in the Alchemical community, under the Twelve Masters. Kahlin knew that he would never reach the Master Rank, so set his bar a level below, and was well on his way at age seventeen. Kahlin, by this time, had devoted his life to studies and work, thus leaving all friends, and thoughts of revenge, behind. 12

Kahlin worked day and night at the requirements for the High Chemist rank, among which were mastering the Book’s of Alchemy 1-5, of which he had mastered three of. He had already taken the initiation oaths and ceremonies, and finished reading the entire Charini, the first Alchemical book written, it was huge, over three thousand pages long. It had taken him two weeks to complete, while doing nothing else. 13

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Kahlin had been elevated to the High Chemist level after seven years of training. Now, at the age of twenty-four, he was the young High Chemist in History. ‘Abr Harchrunim du Wyrda’ or, ‘The Dominance of Fate’ said that the next youngest of the rank was Mari Culimina, at the age of thirty-three.15

Kahlin felt such an insane degree of accomplishment that be boasted his position for the next five years. While the bragging years passed, he trained under direct contact with Five of the Twelve Masters of Alchemy. During his training, he had mastered the Bleeding Bloodroot Sap, along with many hundreds of other mixtures. 16

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Another year had passed, and Kahlin was beginning to realize his ultimate goal…an Alchemical Meet was in less than a month, and a woman named Annilei was said to be an attendee. Kahlin jumped at this chance, and began to stock up on every ingredient possible. When he had exhausted his life’s earnings, he stored them, and then, in another week, went to the Meet.18

Kahlin announced a public duel with Annilei as the opener to the Alchemical Meet, and was then scheduled to duel her at the very beginning of the Meet, before it truly began. The winner of the duel would be given a number of secret recipes from the Master Micheli. The High Chemist knew this a perfect chance to not only humiliate the one he spent so long trying to, and failed, but learn these new recipes for the brews; they were almost definitely incredibly powerful.19

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Annilei and Kahlin entered the dueling arena, and began to mix a first brew. Kahlin opened with a Bash Bean Brew, a simple yet painful concoction of Nitro powder, Bash Bean, and other reactive chemicals. This caused a bit of commotion, erupting Annilei’s Massacre Blast into her own face, singeing her hair, and scorching her face. While Annilei groped about in pain, Kahlin quickly worked up a brew of his own invention, called Death Serenade. He poured this thick paste on his opponent’s feet, causing Shadow Mites, small bugs made of shadow, to crawl up her legs, devouring as they went.21

Kahlin had forgotten one simple rule…this wasn’t a fight to the death. This was simply an incapacitation match. When Annilei was no more from the Death Serenade, Kahlin received mixed emotions. They thought him brilliant, yet a murderer, a legend, yet a menace. No authorities’ could decide whether to hail Kahlin, or throw him in jail for manslaughter, so Kahlin quickly escaped.22

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A few years passed, with Kahlin in hiding, and the Alchemical Meet conundrum blew away, forgotten. Kahlin returned to his life, all the more intelligent and skilled from his hermitage, and studied for months, soon being elevated farther than he thought possible for himself, since one of the Masters had died…Kahlin was the Twelfth Master of Alchemy. Kahlin left his home city for years to travel and learn. 24