A Study in Purple (part 2)

The porters had carried in ten wooden crates the next morning before being shooed out of the lab, much to Albert’s dismay. Nine crates were full of thrice-tempered glass, steel hinges, and rubber lining, all of which the young man had laboriously unloaded and was now assembling into the Class IV Liquid Containment Observation Cell that Caine had purchased from a reputable local artificer.

The last box, however, was the alchemist’s pride and joy: a custom enchantment, rendered into a viscous black tar, that was the key to this entire scheme. Bottled Affinity, the mage had called it. Caine had been corresponding with the man for 18 months now, helping him create the exact substance that would allow the alchemist to create a master-bond with the soon-to-be-created hybrid slime. If his experiments were successful, the creature would be bound to his will. An unit of such creatures, perfectly loyal to Caine (and thus the king) were planned as a covert unit of spies and assassins, infiltrating elven territory and eliminating high-value targets with their enhanced physiology and adaptability.

But of course, it was too soon to think of the possibilities. They had to make sure it worked. “Ah, how’s it coming?” Caine offered a tight-lipped smiled and an encouraging nod to his apprentice. The young man was covered packing dust intermingled with sweat, but his efforts looked promising.

“Almost done, sir. Nngh!” He heaved a glass pane into place, settling it into the rubber tubing and fastening it with a steel clamp. “Just a few more adjustments. But this…” he gestured at a steel-rimmed hole in the glass, half a meter in diameter. “Is this supposed to be here? The creature will just escape, right?”

Caine grinned, rolling his shoulders as he walked over to the case. “That is the final piece, my good apprentice, and why this particularly cage cost the king so much coin. Glass was necessary for observing the subject, of course, and the rubber seals in the edges to prevent its slimy egress. But we’ll still need to conduct samples, will we not?”

“I, um, I suppose so? Sir.”

“Indeed we will. Thus, the one-way barrier that our esteemed Archmage Barovan was kind enough to create for us. It will allow an inanimate or human subject to slip through with no effort at all. But our experiment, on the other hand, will find itself utterly blocked. A solid wall against monster physiology. A door to the cell would risk the creature’s escape with each opening, but this? This will allow us to extract pieces of the creature on which to conduct tests without putting ourselves in harm’s way. Utterly foolproof.” Caine stuck his hand through the opening experimentally. “Ah, a slight tingle! Interesting.” He beamed at Albert. “An ingenious design, if I may flatter myself.”

Albert flattened some seams on the rubber seal, adjusted a corner to ensure tightness, all while Caine circled the glass prison and examined it. “There, sir. All done!” He wiped his with the back of a hand before settling down onto an empty crate.

“Well done. You’ve earned a rest, by my reckoning.” Ah, to be young, Caine mused. The lad was coming along nicely. No sense giving him an outsized ego in telling the boy, but Albert was easily the most adept apprentice he’d worked with. Quick, steady, and curious. A little awkward in social situations, especially around the ladies of the court, but he was young and could hardly be faulted for such.

The Chief Researcher rubbed his hands together, wiped them on his pants, and began preparing the lab for their grand experiment. Once started, the process was relatively simple. Three parts blue slime, four parts red, and two carefully measured ounces of Affinity Powder went into the mixing pot. “In this case, it is best not to stir them,” the alchemist explained to his audience. “Please note that the parts are congealing on their own and will take some time to do so, allowing me time to add the binding agent: a small portion of my own body, to seal my mastery over the creature.”

Albert, still perched on the box, stared wide-eyed at his mentor. “Blood, sir?”

“Not quite. Do you recall the Principle of Attraction?”

The apprentice nodded. “Like calls to like.”

“Indeed. Thus, while my blood would be quite effective as an agent to bind the creature to my will, the beast would also develop a taste for blood. One accidental cut could lead to bloodlust, frenzy, and a nearby victim’s rapid exsanguination. Disaster.” Caine produced a vial of thick white liquid, shaking it vigorously. “As such, I have stored a sample of my male essence - to use a more polite term - that will perform an identical function but without the risks inherent in blood.”

He upended the vial into the mixture, set it aside, took hold of the pole, and began to stir. The various substances bubbled and shifted unnaturally, blending quickly together. Minutes later the container was filled with a shimmering purple sludge. It congealed and writhed as though trying to pull itself together, but the continuous stirring prevented kept the substance in check.

“Right, you’re on deck Albert.” He tilted his head to indicate the apprentice. “You’re to open the top panel like we discussed. The moment I have the creature inside its containment, that glass needs to go back in place and the seals must be perfect. Ready? Now!”

They worked in unison, the alchemist hoisting the mixing vat with both hands while his apprentice withdrew the top panel. Together they heaved the container up, splashing purple slime against the reinforced glass. “Good,” Caine said, “That’s the last of it. Seal it in.” The liquid trembled, rising into a small mass and seeming to look around. But before the slime could orient itself Albert had the panel back in place, seals checked, clamps locked. Questing pseudopods explored along the lines and corners of the prison but found no weaknesses, and soon the slime settled into a discontented puddle in the center of its cage.

The men cheered, clasping hands. “Well done, Albert! Well done indeed!”

“Thank you, sir!” The apprentice frowned. “Ah, well… what now?”

Caine clapped him on the back. “Now, I’m afraid, we wait. The creature will need to be fed regularly - just vegetables for now, as a safety precaution. It can hardly adapt weapons from corn and potatoes. But the creature is small, and it will need time to grow.” He looked at their prisoner, then back to Albert. “My next task will be the preparation of more exotic creatures with which to feed the hybrid to test its adaptation. You will be tasked with the beast’s observation. Twenty-four hours a day, so you’ll be in charge of two other apprentices. Arrange them in shifts, and report everything. Most of all any… well, anything out of the ordinary. Use your judgement, lad, I trust you.”

Albert beamed. “Of course, sir!” His own team! A chance to prove himself! The apprentice steadied himself, trying to remain calm. “I won’t let you down.”

“I’ve no doubt of that. Well, it begins now; best make yourself comfortable. I’ll have the others sent down in an hour so you can get some rest. Gods know we’ve earned it.”

As the master alchemist walked off, Albert resettled himself on a box and eyed the purple mass cautiously. What was it doing? What was it thinking? He’d have to check out Hothram’s Compendium of Hostile Oozes and Fungi from the royal library when he went on break. You could never study too much, as Master Caine always said, and he was about to have a lot of time on his hands.