Limits

Nick was stunned, when he saw my resolution. After a while, he smiled and said "Good, very good. Master your Arts, then show the world what I taught you. Show them, what you are made of!". Nick then continued "I will now show you, how the Cloud Haze Poison is made. Watch carefully, as each step has to be taken very seriously". I nodded my head, and watched Nick's poison making process.

Nick took out some Poison Grass. It was a common herb, that could poison insects and very small animals, but would have no effect on humans. Only if it was consumed in very large quantities, a human or similarly sized animal, would suffer from diarrhea. Not more than that. Nick placed the herb inside a big pot, and added some water. He said "The amount of water you will need to add, is quite precise. You will need about 200 milliliters of water, for one batch. If there is too much water, the poison will lose a lot of its strength. If there is not enough water, the herbs would burn". Nick then continued "As for the Poison Grass, you will need about 60 grams of it. Weight it as accurately as you can. Too little, and the poison will lose some effects. Too much, and the poison will not be able to condense into a cloud. You will have to find a balance".

I nodded my head, and continued watching. When the water with herbs started boiling, Nick threw in another herb, and said "This is the Cloud Mushroom. I'm sure you know the effects of this mushroom already. You will need to add specific quantity as well. I'd say, aim for about 40 grams of the Cloud Mushroom, for one batch of poison. If you have to, then cut the mushroom to size. Or use more than one, if they are small".

I nodded my head, while Nick continued "You have to leave this mixture to boil, for about five to six minutes. When you see that the amount of water decreased by half, you will need to add the last ingredient". I nodded my head, and waited for Nick to continue the process.

When Nick noticed, that enough water has evaporated, he said "Now, it's time to throw in the last herb. This is the Haze Flower. I'm sure you know the properties of that herb, right?". I responded "Yes. Haze Flower creates a mist when it rains. This Flower doesn't have any poison, and is only capable of creating a mist, when it makes contact with water".

Nick said "That is correct. Now the last step. When you throw in the Haze Flower inside the pot, you will have to cover the pot with a lid, and seal it. The mixture needs to be cooked for about five minutes. When it's ready, you will extinguish the fire, and leave the mixture to cool down for ten to fifteen minutes. You will need about 30 grams of Haze Flower, for each batch. This should be enough. If you add a bit more, the poison cloud will get bigger. There is a drawback to this as well. If you add too much Haze Flower, the poison cloud will become less potent".

I nodded my head, but then realised something. I asked "How are we going to take it out? If the poison touches air now, it will automatically activate". Nick smiled, and replied "That is true. We use the lead, for that specific reason. The lid is very important. Not only does the lid allow us to complete the process, it also allows the poison to condensate. This means, it will be in liquid form. I will show you in a while, how to extract the poison from the pot".

I nodded my head, and waited with Nick for the poison inside the pot, to cool down. After about ten minutes Nick said "Now, I will show you how to extract the poison". Nick took out a small bottle with a cork, and placed it next to the pot. He then took out some sort of putty, and also placed it next to the pot. He then placed the bottle with the cork, that had a hole inside, into the faucet. He then opened the valve, and the poison started pouring into the bottle.

The bottle's cork fitted very tightly onto the faucet, and prevented any air from entering. The bottle that nick used, was almost full, while the poison stopped pouring out. Nick then took the putty and placed it around the faucet. With a very swift and quick movement, Nick took out the bottle from the faucet, and immediately sealed it with the putty.

Nick turned towards me, and said "That is how you will extract it. You will need to do it very quickly, but you should have no problems with that. After all, you've learned the Art of Hidden Weapons, as well as the Art of Stealth". He then continued "This putty is a modified clay. If you used normal soft clay, it would crack after a while, when it dried. You need to mix the clay, with coal powder. This way, the clay will not crack, and will stay flexible all the time". Nick then continued "Some air will get to the poison, but it will not start the process of changing it into the poison cloud. That is why, we don't have to worry too much about the air in the bottle, or when we take it out. Just make sure, you do it very quickly, and it should be fine".

I nodded my head, but then something clicked in my mind. I decided to ask Nick about it "You only added one poison herb, which is very weak. How is it possible, to create such strong poison, that can kill humans? Even if I consumed Poison Grass in large quantities, it would only result in diarrhea". Nick smiled, and replied "It's all thanks to the process, of mixing certain herbs together. When we combine those herbs, the Poison Grass will become much more potent. It's true, Poison Grass alone is very weak, but if you process it according to my recipe, then even a small amount of this poison is very deadly". I nodded my head, and thought 'So, weak herbs may not be dangerous sometimes, but when combined with other herbs, the effects can be multiplied or changed'.

I was eager to try myself. I asked Nick "Can I give it a try?". Nick replied "Sure, I also want to see how you will handle medicine, and poison making. Before you attempt the Cloud Haze Poison though, you will need to practice some easier recipes first. I have the herbs for one such recipe, and it will come in handy to you as well". Nick handed me some herbs, and waited for me to create my first recipe.