Limits

I had to make a specific medicine, which could be used to prolong the freshness of… skin. This was a trick Nathan taught me, and I had the herbs required with me at all times. There was no name for it, but the herbs used were called Light Tulip and Powdery Shroom. The shroom's properties were poisonous, but in a weird way. It actually stopped the decomposition of corpses and such. It grew on the corpses and carcases alike, and was quite rare. The herb wasn't poisonous to touch, but if ingested, there would be a few issues one would need to deal with.

For one, some of the organs could stop functioning, and that could be fatal. The Light Tulip on the other hand, had medical properties. It improved regeneration and promoted freshness. In a sense, it could be used as a refreshing tonic for the body. But when those two were mixed, they produced something else entirely.

I had to cook the shroom first, and then take out the dregs before throwing in the Light Tulip. The next step was also different. After the Light Tulip, I had to extinguish the fire for a while. The properties of Light Tulip would slowly seep into the mixture. Only when the properties were completely extracted, I could start the fire again.

With the medicine completed, I didn't extinguish the fire. Instead, I threw the Ognar's tendons inside, then covered the pot with the lid. The medicine didn't boil, but had to stay warm for the tendons to absorb the medicine. Meanwhile the Atols returned with a large pot and a few other tools. The pot had a lid, but no holes in it. I took the lid from them, and punched out some tiny holes in it.

"Here, with this, the pot and lid should be alright. Wait for a while, as I finish with this thing. You can start practicing afterwards" I said while passing them the lid. One of the Atols asked curious, "What medicine did you make this time?". I replied with a smile, "It's not really a medicine per say. It's something I need to prolong the freshness of the tendons. Before you ask, I need them for new weapon". They nodded, and didn't pry any further.

Around ten to twenty minutes later, I extinguished the flame and took out the warm tendons from the pot. They became a bit more elastic, but that would change when they cooled down properly. After pocketing the tendons, I took the pot outside, and dumped the content somewhere safer. "Alright. Practice one at a time. I need to work on that new weapon. If you have any issues, I will be somewhere near the fields. Pop in to ask anything that's on your minds". They nodded and seemed quite eager to begin their practice.

I left them, and headed to the place where Shades stored those dead trees. I was quite shocked by the amount left. 'Hmm, I think they will need loads more, looking at the state of those walls' I thought. The amount left, was abysmal compared to what used to be there. I also used some of that for the water delivery system... I still took one large log, and carried it towards the fields.

'I will take half of the army with me later, and we will cut down some trees... Whether they are dead or not' I thought. This would be a good exercise for them. Atols and Lizards would gain some experience at the same time. 'The problem is, we need to go to Dead Forest again… Before that, I need to take that Voltic Orb from Crow. Just in case' I thought.

With the log transported, I took out my Razor Swords and connected them while activating the Formation. "Vooom!", the sword hummed into life. I needed a few specific pieces for the weapon. For one, I needed the arch, which would be used to hold the string. I also needed the platform, on which the large bow would rest. Then there was the underbody of the bow, and a few other bits and pieces.

'I have the design memorised, I just have to work from my memory' I thought, and cut the log into a few large pieces. I couldn't use my Razor Sword in order to shape them, so I had to use my daggers. Precision was time consuming, but it had to be done. I sat the hour after hour, shaping the pieces. I began from the hardest, and the most important pieces.

During my first day, I only managed to create the large arch, or the bow's main body. This had to be sculpted out rather precisely, and had to have a specific size. Too small, and the rest of metal components wouldn't work. Too big, and the arch wouldn't fit well, or work as intended. Sculpting it, was just the beginning. I had to harden it, but I had no clue how. I needed someone who made bows in the past, or ask Ama again.

I tried blacksmiths, and they actually knew someone who made bows inside Sedon. It was a Shade called Irsa, she was supposedly the best bow maker Shades had to offer. I visited her workshop, and noticed many unfinished bows either hanging or laying around. I asked the Shade inside, "Irsa?". She turned towards me while asking, "Yes, that's me. Do you need a bow?". I smiled, and took out the arch I made before.

She looked at it confused. "I didn't make this did I? It's too big to be used as a bow". I replied, "No, I made this. What I need is a way to harden it. Make it more resilient, more tough". She was still confused, and asked "Why would you need such a big bow?". I drew the design from my memory, and passed the paper to her. She looked at it for a while, then asked "What is this?". I replied, "New weapon of war". She laughed, "This? It won't work".

This time I was confused. I asked perturbed, "Why wouldn't it work?". She asked another question, "Was it designed by a bow craftsman?". I shook my head. She continued, "There you go, that is your answer". It didn't make sense to me, so I asked for a reason. She said, "You see, this thing will break after its first use. The balance is off, and even if you managed to shoot one arrow from it, the aim? Forget about it".

I replied, "Improve it then. You have the expertise it seems". She shook her head, crumpled the paper and threw it away. She then said, "I don't intend to, even though I know who you are. Your standing means nothing to me, so I will not help you". I smiled, and turned around. 'A Shade who doesn't wish to help during a war. Interesting' I thought, and left her workshop. It was true, I couldn't force her. It was her choice, and I had to respect that.

I went to see Ama first. She was a bit annoyed that I disturbed her again, but I told her it was important. "Alright, what is it?". I said, "You know the design. I spoke with a bow maker, she said it will not work". Ama thought about it, and asked "Why? I mean, I'm not a bow craftsman, but I've seen a few bows in my life. Although Atols don't use them, others do". I replied, "She said that the balance is off, and that it would break after its first use. She also said that the aim would be terrible". Ama wasn't pleased with those comments, and asked for paper. I gave her some, and she sketched out the design again.

She showed it to me, and said "According to my calculations, the balance is perfect. I told you, I'm no bow maker, but that bitch lied to you. You have this trey here, right? This will prevent any vibrations from affecting the arrow, when it's released. Aim? That bitch is crazy. Build it, and let's see who's aim is better. I will shoot at her, while she shoots at me from her bow. Let's see who has better aim!".

That was even more interesting. Ama was a good craftsman. Although bows were not her specialty, she had the imagination and skills to make it a reality. The Shade simply dismissed it, and refused to correct those mistakes too. 'I think I know why' I thought, and left Ama quickly. I made it back to Irsa's workshop, and as I suspected, she wasn't there. The crumpled paper? Gone as well. 'So a rat... Run… Run fast Shade. Because if I catch you, you will wish for a quick death' I thought, and disappeared.

I scoured the city, but she was nowhere to be found. I placed my mask on, and tried again. No results. 'Outside the city then… Which way would she go? Towards Land of Mirages, or elsewhere' I thought. I tried the gate first, the Shades responsible for opening and closing the gate, told me no one left. 'Hmmm… Underground, or she scaled the walls' I thought. It wouldn't be impossible. After all the walls were under construction. Scaffolding was everywhere. 'Sludge Factory then' I thought, and rushed towards the walls that overlooked the entire Sludge Factory. Very few people worked on that side, as the walls were pretty much undamaged.

In the distance, running on the surface of Sludge Factory, I saw a lone Shade. 'There you are' I thought, but there was a problem. I couldn't chase her there. 'I used the Sludge Factory when I was with Crow, this would explain why it didn't attack. Would it work again?' I asked myself. I needed a Shade, and fast. One of them worked on the wall nearby. I appeared next to him, and grabbed him. "Hey! What are you doing!?". I replied, "I need to use the Sludge Factory. Let me borrow you for a minute". "What?". But before he could say anything else, I jumped down.

"Are you insane!? The sludge will kill you!". We landed on the soft sludge, and sunk a few good metres down. The purple exterior ripped open, revealing thousands of red eyes. The sludge didn't attack though, it slowly brought us above the surface again. "Huh? How is that possible?" he asked. I didn't waste time, and ran at my full speed with the Shade attached to me.