44 Ymiden 717
That charlatan was not going to get the best of F'mos even if everyone else in Etzos had already been fooled by that irritable sthick; if the aukari had to hear yet another insufferable 'did I forgot to mention...' one more time, someone was going to get hurt even if it would not be the best of ideas with the Black Guard around. He did not need Parren to tell him anything about the impromptu contest. He had over the trials collected his own information through his own participation and even some of the other participants before him such as Nightshade Eld, the avriel who revealed even the ability of flight was made useless through the rules of the contest as even the beating of her wings weighed the carpet down. It would seem the conman accounted for everything.
Well, not everything. As far as F'mos was concerned the solution to anything can be found through alchemy, one of the most versatile crafts in Idalos. With all the information he had gathered, he had no doubts he would come up with a solution but there was primary concern he had to satisfy. He had to get the formula of his solution just right so Parren would be unable to bend the rules as he always had to invalidate the alchemist's claim to the prize. The aukari had already invested too much nels into the contest, the entry fees which the cheat profited off as he had to pay for both Lizzie's and himself.
There were far too many hurdles the alchemist had to pass just for his prize. The first which he himself demonstrated along with a whole lot of other participants who tried and failed, was to reach the glass orb on the pedestal which proved to be near impossible because of the rules. The same rules which had the aukari convinced he could not simply knock the glass orb off it unless he wanted it to shatter or it roll off unto the carpet; both of which would no doubt be enough to have another loss declared. He had neither skill nor luck to shoot the orb off the pedestal to even consider such a feat. Nothing short of going right for the pedestal himself and getting the orb off of it would be able to give him his victory.
Unless... Parren never specified the participants had to be the ones to get the orb and, F'mos heard something about an almost success by a child smart enough to skirt around the rules to assist someone- until Parren changed the rules so no one could make use of that loophole again. It was a good place to start from and if not a person the aukari thought, maybe, an animal? Animals could be considered tools as they were not that smart to begin with. F'mos looked at the scython sound asleep at the corner and quickly decided to not use the volatile creature then, looked at the noisy eagle Lizzie was playing with.
A better option even if his options were limited to begin with.
With a means to reach the glass orb, the alchemist only had to figure out the method the eagle would secure it. As his own father taught him after he was given the bird, he knew eagles were good for scouting and hunting for Aukari in the field. For hunting, they would fly over on top of their prey and strike from above- talons right into their prey before both were in the air and eventually back with their handlers. As the image ran through his head, he knew getting the bird on the pedestal would be no problem as long as it did as it was trained to do. It would be the inability of the claws to find any purchase on the smooth, slippery glass orb which would be a problem. Either the bird will return without it or, the orb would slip unto the carpet as yet another failure.
He figured it would be a simple solution with a generous application of alchemical glue although there were some elements to consider. A metal-based solution was definitely out. It may be too heavy for the bird and if something went wrong, the eagle would be tainted and F'mos would be stuck with a whole new set of problems to take care of. It would have to be an organic-based solution the alchemist reasons. Fortunately with his own knowledge of poisons, he already knew what to avoid so the bird would not be harmed. With a selection of materials, the aukari eventually found a proper mix of animal and plant byproducts for a strong enough solution which would stick to anything after exposed to the air for a short while.
But why stop there? While F'mos did not want metal for the glue he would use with his bird, he already had his materials out. Why not go further? He might even get something better out of it to use in the future. He added some metals mined from Etzos which released a pungent gas which stung his eyes and left a sour taste in his mouth. Each new combination was just as bad as the last but eventually, he reached an even better mix. Like all his alchemical creations there one quality F'mos actively worked towards which was their reactivity to heat, or even better, to Aukari blood to make sure no one else could ever use it against him. The heat of his own body was more than enough to quick dry the glue though there was that interesting reaction to his blood.
Perhaps as a project for another time.
Distracted long enough by the creation and possibilities of his side project, the alchemist finally moved on to the third and final hurdle he identified. The ability to hand off the orb to Parren in the end. With the bird's training the problem obviously was not to get the bird to return but, to get the orb off the bird it would be stuck to. F'mos could not simply rip off the orb as the bird and orb might get damaged. It felt a little counterintuitive to consider such a thing after he had made an effective glue but there was no other way to do it. The aukari also needed to make a solvent to get rid of the glue so he could retrieve the orb.
The need for a solvent introduced a whole bunch of other problems for F'mos to solve and chief among them, the fact any solvent he had been taught to make in Sirothelle were dangerous especially if handled poorly. And he thought he was already done with such hassles after he had made the perfect glue too! Even if he was around to oversee its use, an animal would be involved and those things were unreliable. Nevertheless with no other choice, the aukari quickly prepared what he needed to make the solvent and, something extra as well should anything and everything go wrong.
While the metals he brought together were not dangerous on their own, their reactions after being mixed were. The acrid smells released definitely made the solution something he could only expose once he secured the bird- unless he wanted the bird to freak out before he could even have the orb in his hands. The smells were not even the tricky parts of the mix which meant the alchemist had to be careful even as he prepared it. If the solution which already ate bits and pieces of the container was any indication, the bird's leg made of less durable stuff certainly would not survive long-term exposure. Fortunately like the glue he was taught to make and the dangers it represented, the aukari was also taught the method to neutralize it.
The solvent was acidic, not too strong just as he wanted it to be so his bird would not be harmed, but acid all the same. All he needed was an alkaline base of similar strength to make sure his bird, along with the orb, would come out of the competition unharmed. Nothing too complicated but just as troublesome to produce as the glue and solvent, F'mos assembled his solution from some metals, burned plant ashes and animal fats all mixed in water. He knew more professional folk used these as soaps as well, but the aukari did not have the time to make anything... nice... With the time he had these were all he could make and they would have to do. It would only be in the next trial however, when the aukari would know for sure if his creations had any worth or not.
On the bright side, there would at least be a bunch of his own creations which had some worth although... it was none other than that damned crow which commissioned the alchemist for them. He only has to finish up those before it became dark. Ugh. The plight of a person good at his job...
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