Uwa, pausing at the end of a page to take a bite of bread, added "We may also wish to speak with the alchemist. At the very least, the two of us could compare what we know and confirm that it is indeed arsenic in the water." She may not have been some gods-gifted alchemist who could turn lead into gold with the application of some strange chemical, or drink a mutagen to become a ferocious beast-woman, but Uwa was otherwise of great knowledge about the subject of alchemy, and could cook up a solution to quite a few mundane problems with a lab and enough reagents. Unfortunately for her, a lab was a rather unwieldy thing to carry around, and so she had to usually borrow space from a dedicated alchemist who was willing to share.<br/><br/>Gia was just swallowing her fourth egg down by the time Uwa had finished her suggestion. "Mister Phineas?" she inquired. "Have you any mines nearby? Those are known for polluting water sources quite heavily."<br/><br/>"There was a gold mine across the river, but that was long ago, and nobody's used it for decades. It was also far enough away from the river to keep the poisons from smelting the ore out of the water. The miners were smart enough to dig a well, and dump the dirty water down the other side of the ravine."<br/><br/>Finishing off her rashers and pickled cabbage, Claramond declared, "I say we visit the alchemist first. Every last bit of information we can glean before heading into someplace that may be rather dangerous may be  a lifesaver."<br/><br/>Once all their meals had been eaten, the paladin followed the directions Phineas gave them to find the alchemist's workplace, leading the rest of them along. The building was near the edge of town, and although it looked to be old, it was very well-kept. The porch, as well as much of the other exposed wood of the place was even covered in a thin layer of some kind of resin, or perhaps wax; whatever it was, the spot of rain they must have had last night- the dirt roads and the cobblestones were all damp- seemed to have been repulsed from it as though the wood had been doused in oil, but it was not slick in the slightest. Claramond gave a knock on the door, rapping it smartly with her metal-covered hand. There was a muffled "Just a moment, please!" from behind the door, some dull thuds, and a loud curse before the portal opened.<br/><br/>Standing before the group was a... a someone. Their features were rather androgynous, with shaggy, white hair that fell to their shoulders, and sharp, slender features. Their large, black eyes and long ears betrayed their nature as an elf, that much was undeniable. They were rather short for an elf, however,  being about half a head shy of Claramond's height. A long, stained leather coat kept most of their body hidden, and they spoke with a rather high voice, though not squeaking, "Welcome! I am Etheda Helviate, alchemist and medical expert. How may I help you?"<br/><br/>Well, at least that revealed that Etheda was a man, considering what Phineas had told them.<br/><br/>Claramond extended a hand and genially replied, "I am Claramond Rothschild, this is my sister Uwa, and these are our companions, Michael and Gia. We've heard that you may have some knowledge of what is poisoning the river."<br/><br/>Etheda gave a nod. "Ah, yes. Come in, come in. Mind your step, it's a bit of a mess in here."<br/><br/>And what a mess it was, tables creaking under the weight of all the books and tools laid atop them. A menagerie of herbs, powders, liquids, and canisters lined the walls and the beams of the ceiling, and the smell inside was potently acidic, almost as though the air was filled with evaporated white vinegar and salt. There was also a strong sulfuric odor. "Pardon the stench, I've been working with a lot of brimstone to determine what's in the water," apologized the elf.<br/><br/>Taking lead of the group as they wound through the clutter, Uwa approached a laboratory of vials, glass tubes, and metal basins. Inside one of the larger glass flasks was a yellowish fluid with a copper wire hanging in it. The other end of the wire was wrapped around the blade of a dagger that was crackling with electricity, which in turn was propped up on a stand by its handle, so as to keep it from touching anything else. Uwa examined the large red crystals that were forming on the wire. "Rubies of sulfur?" she observed. "So there is indeed arsenic in the water. But what's this?"<br/><br/>She pointed to other crystals in the alchemical mixture, whitish-blue ones that were much sharper, jutting from the cracks of the sulfur rubies like the spikes of a hedgehog. Stroking his chin, Etheda gave a thoughtful, yet unsure look. "I haven't been able to determine that yet," he said, giving a sigh. "The stuff is hard as steel, I can tell you that much. I broke two hammers trying to crack the crystals."<br/><br/>There was the hiss of a sword being unsheathed, and Claramond stepped forward. "Like this?" she said, holding her greatsword towards Etheda, hilt first. He ran his fingers down the flat of the crystal blade, the steel core of it darkening the middle for about two feet down before shifting to solid crystal. It was even the same blue color as the crystals that were poking from the sulfur. "Yes, exactly! Can you tell me any of the sword's properties?"<br/><br/>Claramond shrugged. "Not a whole lot, really. I know that if I focus my mind on the sword, I can make it strike as a blade twice its size, but that would be the gist of it."<br/><br/>"Interesting. Very interesting indeed..." said Etheda. It was quite apparent from the look in his eyes that his mind was racing with all kinds of ideas on what exactly the crystal was.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>