47 Cloud Haze Poison

The next morning, I left the turtle inside the house, as it was still asleep. Though I'd check on it during the break, just to make sure there were no issues. 'I know this guy eats fish, and perhaps fruits or vegetables. I'll bring some food with me during the break', I figured before leaving the house.

The work at the smithy proceeded as usual, and after my lunch, I checked up on the turtle. Upon opening the doors, something slammed into my leg. "Oh, you're awake. I got some food for you", "Mah! Maamaah!", the turtle seemed to complain about something. "I got food, so you can eat. Don't worry", I added, but the turtle shook it's head.

'I really don't know what this guy wants', the thought appeared in my mind while staring at it. "Are you hungry?", I decided to ask. The question was answered with a nod, but the turtle wasn't really interested in vegetables. "Huh? You guys do eat such things right?... Eat this for now, after my work, we'll go to river, so you can get some fish", I said.

The turtle pulled on my pants for some reason, and made a few more 'mah' sounds. "I'm not sure what you need from me... Just stay here for now, we'll figure it out once my work is done". My attempt at reassuring it didn't get us anywhere. The turtle still pulled on my pants, while grumbling. "... You don't want me to leave?", I asked for lack of better ideas.

The turtle nodded a few time, and made some sounds. "I can't take you with me. I'm working in a smithy, that's not a place for turtles. I'll be back later, once my work is done, okay? Just wait here, then we'll go outside to get you some fish", I assured it. Though the turtle was reluctant, it finally let go of my pants.

The turtle gave me a feeling of owning a dog. The only think missing was the wagging tail behind, albeit the turtle had a small tail. The rest of that day passed uneventfully. After the dinner, I went back to the house, and grabbed the turtle. "See, there was no need to worry. I'm back, like I said. Okay, let's go outside for a bit. I'm sure you are hungry already", with that said, I walked outside the house.

'Maybe it will be faster to carry it around', I thought while turning around, and my eyes beheld a peculiar sight. The turtle was running after me. Without much of a thought, my hand simply grabbed the bridge of my nose. Not only was the sight comical, it wasn't something anyone would expect from a turtle. 'I mean, it's not running fast, but still...', "I can carry you, if you want", but the turtle shook it's head.

I gave up at that point, and just accepted whatever that turtle came up with as 'normal'. And just like that, the villagers beheld a new sight inside the village. A turtle running after a man walking steadily forward. Most people stared, but one person decided to ask the obvious question on everyone's mind. "What's up with that turtle?", he asked. "... It's my pet. I found it, and now it follows me around. So I'm it's owner now, I guess", I replied.

No one else asked any other questions, and surely they'd get used to a turtle after a while. At least that was my hope. The turtle could hunt by itself, but I decided to help out a bit, and catch a few of the fish as well. I didn't use a net like before, but rather some pebbles at the bank of the river. That was also a good way to practice my aim.

The turtle ate a few fish, which seemed a bit weird, but my mind wasn't prepared to question those things anymore. I started a fire to roast some of them, while practicing my sight a bit more. "Mah!", the turtle nudged me after a while. "What's up?", "Mah, mammaaamaaa", it replied while pointing it's head at the fire and roasted fish. "... You want some, right?", I guessed correctly, as the turtle nodded in response.

Whether turtles could eat roasted food was a mystery to me. "I think this shouldn't upset your stomach?... You really are curious about everything, I'll give you some just to try", I said and gave it some roasted fish. The turtle gobbled it up in seconds, then looked at me again. 'Was this turtle a dog in previous life?', I asked myself. The look wasn't exactly that of a dog begging for a treat, but it certainly felt that way. "Are you fine eating this stuff? You will not complain later about any pain or something, right?", I tried to make sure.

The turtle simply nodded in response. "Alright, if you come to me later, I'm not going to give you medicine. If you are sure, here, you can have the rest of it", I said while placing the fish on the ground. The turtle happily enjoyed the meal, which made me wonder how it was possible for a turtle to eat so much. 'I'll ask Nick later, maybe he'll have a theory about that', with that thought in mind, we returned to the house after that meal.

Late in the evening, Nick visited my house. "You two look cute", he commented with a grin. "While you look old, good job... I have a question though. Can turtles eat cooked food?", "Wow, that took less than a minute. You do realise it's a stupid question to ask me, right? How about, I've no idea? Did you feed it some?", Nick replied with his own questions. "Well, yea, but the turtle, and I'm serious, begged me like a dog for some roasted fish", I replied.

Nick reacted the same way, I reacted to the turtle running. "Does it seem sick to you?", he asked. "No, it seems fine", "Then it's fine? Anyway, pick your ass up from that bed. We'll be doing a new recipe today", he replied. I followed Nick out, and of course the turtle followed me. Nick heard the turtle's claws tapping the wooden floor as it ran, and turned around to look.

"Yea, it does that too. Besides, it doesn't like to stay alone", I sympathised. "...Just take that guy with us", Nick's reply sounded full of defeat. We entered the forest, where Nick explained which recipe we will be attempting. "You'll learn how to make Cloud Haze Poison. I already gave you some, but the process of making that poison is quite difficult and different. First, we'll gather the herbs. Because we don't have that much time, you will follow me", he explained.

Cloud Haze Poison was one of the deadliest poisons inside the books of recipes Nick gave me. The deadliness came from large area of effect. Moreover, it couldn't be easily cured without an appropriate antidote. The poison was also difficult to make, as it required air tight pot, and near perfect control of the temperature.

Nick showed me where, and how to find the necessary herbs. The first herb was the rarest of them, as it required a specific environment to grow. Haze Flowers grew only in misty and damp environments, usually next to places with still water present. Nick quickly found the herb, as if he knew where to look straight from the beginning.

"Take a proper look at this area. You will notice signs of Haze Flowers growing here. This herb requires a damp area, with not a lot of sun, and a water body that is still. Rarely you might be able to find these flowers next to streams, but usually this is the sort of area you will look into", he explained. Then we moved towards another location, for the next herb.

Cloud Mushrooms were considered a bit rarer than common herbs. Cloud Mushrooms usually grew in plains, and mostly in the shadows of rocks, stones and whatnot. Nick quickly found them, and also told me to remember the kind of area that herb could be found at. "We have two more herbs to go. Poison Grass, and Grey Moss. As you know, both of them have relatively weak poisonous properties. The secret to Cloud Haze Poison is in the method of cooking and combining these herbs. There are a few other recipes like that", Nick explained on the way to the next location.

Poison Grass was really easy to find. As the name suggest, it looked like a grass, but had purple dots on their blades. We found some on our way to the next location, which was a hill. "Grey Moss grows on hills, mountains and inside rocky areas. This can be used for some other things, but when combined with Poison Grass, the effect are really not something people would expect... We have all the herbs required, and for a few batches as well. I'll show you the process first, then you will give it a go", Nick said before setting up the kit.

"You know the recipe, but watch closely how it's done. I'll be explaining some things as we proceed", he added, then retrieved some water from his bag. "Two-hundred millilitres of water for one batch, try to be as precise as possible. Then we start the fire, and throw in the Poison Grass, and Grey Moss", he began.

As the herbs gained some temperature, Nick adjusted the fire to slow down the process. "You must let both herbs release the poison properly, before removing the dregs. Don't let the water boil, just keep it at a nice high temperature. Once most of the properties seep into the water, we can remove the dregs... Watch the water's colour, it will change", he continued.

The water slowly changed the colour, and at one point Nick said, "See the rich purple-green colour of the water? This should be most of the juices from these herbs. Don't let the herbs cook too long, we don't want to contaminate the water", he explained and removed the dregs from the pot. "Now we add Cloud Mushrooms. Cut them up for even cooking, but don't close the lid. Let them cook for a few minutes, then throw in the Haze Flower. Do not throw the stems themselves, they do not have the properties we are after. Moreover, the stems could dilute the poison, which we don't want of course", he added.

Once the Haze Flower was inside the pot, Nick placed the lid, and sealed it. "At this point, you cannot remove the lid. This is important, so listen. Even if you fail at making the poison, do not open the lid. Make sure to remove all the liquid from the pot, before unsealing and opening it to clean. Another crucial point is the temperature control. This part is very crucial, as the temperature needs to stay as constant as possible. You can watch the liquid through the view glass to gauge the temperature", he described.

The poison had to cook for about fifteen minutes, and Nick made sure to control the temperature properly. He was focused on the pot, and flame until the required time passed, and he extinguished the fire. "Now we wait. The mist has to cool down and turn into liquid once more. This is completed Cloud Haze Poison, but we will extract it only when it's completely cold. I'll show you the method when it cools", Nick explained.

We waited for about twenty minutes, maybe half an hour, before the pot was cool to the touch. "This is actually easier during spring or autumn, since temperatures are usually colder these seasons. Winter would be great, but most of the herbs die at that time. Now, you will need a bottle with a cork to extract the poison. We will also use this", he said while taking out some putty.

"This putty is made from clay, purified coal and grounded limestone. I'll teach you how to make it later, but the most important part about this putty, it will not crack, and harden to form a seal on the bottle. Now, the cork needs to fit really well, and you need to make a hole inside to fit the tap from the pot. Like this one", he demonstrated with a corked bottle and the tap of the pot. "When the poison is cool, open the tap, and let the poison flow inside. Usually this size of a bottle, is enough for the batch. You could use two small bottles, if you wanted to divide the poison. There's no safe way for you to divide it later. Keep that in mind", he said.

Once all the poison flowed inside the bottle, he said, "This is important. You can't allow air to rush inside the bottle. Right now, the cork and tap create a nice seal, but once removed, the seal is gone. That's where the putty comes in. Make sure you prepare the putty around the tap, and once you remove the bottle, stuff it inside the hole to fill it. One quick movement, like so", he described, then demonstrated the method. His movement was really quick, and the cork was quickly sealed with the putty.

"That's how you make Cloud Haze Poison. Once the extraction is complete, open the tap, and leave the area for a minute or two. Then you can open the pot, and clean it up. Anything you don't understand?", Nick asked. "Everything's clear. I'm a bit afraid to be honest, since it is a strong poison, but we have antidote. I'm ready to give it a go", "Good, you'll start once the pot airs out, and is cleaned", he replied.