"So you see Friedrich, that is why you must never store these two chemicals next to each other." Valetni merely nodded, eyes glued to the twitching form of the squirrel in the wood framed glass box. "Friedrich, are you listening?" Valetni tore his gaze from the squirrel and rested his gaze on the large, bearded fat man who was watching him with a serious expression. "Yes sir." He said evenly after a few minutes, his gaze drifting back to the twitching animal. "But sir, if they're so dangerous, why do we even have them at all, wouldn't the world be safer if we just didn't use toxic chemicals?" He asked.<br/><br/>"Friedrich, a knife is sharp, yet we keep it in the kitchen where anyone can have access to it, you could easily kill someone with a knife, but a knife is also useful, the same with these chemicals." Master Gamberson explained kindly. Valetni nodded.<br/><br/>"But master, isn't there some way we could," He struggled for the right word. "Mitigate the risk in some way, make it easier to handle, safer?"<br/><br/>"Ah, Friedrich, you remind me of myself when I was younger, I sought to create a device which would safely allow one to breathe in a poisoned atmosphere, I have some drawings of an early concept, if you would like." Valetni nodded, eager to get his hands on such a novel device.<br/><br/>"But Friedrich, I came to realize something, were I to be protected in such a way, to never fear an accidental spill, I might become lazy, careless if you will. If you spend all your time working with a dull knife, you learn to not fear the blade, and take a finger off when you use a sharp blade, do you understand?" Valetni nodded, Master Gamberson always had the best metaphors, he made things so simple and easy to comprehend.<br/><br/>"In fact, one time Brother Zato nearly poisoned the entire Monastery, keep this between the two of us, but if I hadn't added a little something to the wine to counteract a certain something he had accidentally added, most of the abbey would have been dead on last year's jubilee." Master Gamberson gave a grin and ruffled Valetni's hair. "This is why a functional knowledge of chemicals is always important, if you know enough to poison someone, you should know enough to counteract the chemicals."<br/><br/>"Here Friedrich, why don't you put these away?" Master Gamberson extended the flasks to him. Valetni took them in hand, only to watch in horror as they slipped through his grasp. The two vials shattered against the stone floor, vile fumes rising to engulf the two men. The poisonous tendrils wrapped their way up Valetni, binding his legs, trapping him...<br/><br/>Valetni came awake with a start, muscles screaming in agony. He lay in bed in the infirmary, sweat drenched with the blanket wrapped tightly around his legs. Breathing heavily, he shook his head. That wasn't how it had happened, he had accepted the vials, calmly and cautiously returned them to their proper location, and then gone with Master Gamerson to wax the floors, that had been fun, sliding on the slippery floor, though when Brother Zato had fallen and broken his hip...<br/><br/>The memories brought a smile to Valetni's lips as he lay in the bed.