by S. B Terra
After ingredients have lightly boiled for a total of four hours, carefully filter the containing liquid into the second empty pot without removing any of the ingredients, cover the second pot with banana leaves or pot lid – KEEP INGREDIENTS IN THE FIRST POT
Cover ingredients in the first pot again with fresh water and cover with banana leaves or pot lid, boil LIGHTLY again for a further four hours
After a further four hours of boiling ingredients has passed, again carefully filter containing liquid into second pot without removing any ingredients from the first pot
Keep second pot uncovered and allow to cool at room temperature for approximately twenty to thirty minutes
Place uncovered second pot with containing filtered liquid onto stove or fire and boil until liquid has reduced to approximately 100-200ML
After reading the Preparation & Instructions section, Alice flicked over to the recommended doses page.
Recommended doses
CAUTION: Do not, under any circumstances, take more than the prescribed doses below
INEXPERIENCED USER OF THE VISION PLANT BREW (0-5 previous journeys) – Recommended dose: 5-10ML
INTERMEDIATE EXPERIENCE WITH THE VISION PLANT BREW (5-15 previous journeys) – Recommended dose: 5-15ML
ADVANCED EXPERIENCE WITH THE VISION PLANT BREW (15+ previous journeys) – Recommended dose: 5-20ML
Alice now had an immense curiosity about the Vision Plant brew, and without reading any further, she decided that tonight was the night that she was going to prepare and journey with the brew. She then stood up and copied all the materials and ingredients down onto a blank scroll and then closed the book, placing it back into the bag and again hiding it in the bathroom.
Alice rolled up the scroll, said goodbye to Blue and closed the living room windows, and then made her way downstairs and towards the Student Plaza.
Alice transported through to the Magic Council and then made her way out onto the square and towards the Plants, Seeds & Fungi store that she had seen whilst shopping with Bella on her first day in Terra.
“Hello there, my dear, is there something I can help you with?” asked a short, elderly lady as Alice walked into the store, the counter was to the left of the room right next to the entrance.
“Hi” said Alice, slightly taken off guard by the woman.
Alice removed the scroll from her robe and looked over the ingredients, hesitating for a moment when realizing that the woman would most likely know what the ingredients were for as she obviously knew a great deal about plants and fungi.
“This is a list of what I need” said Alice, handing the woman the scroll.
The woman looked down at the scroll and then gave Alice a curious stare.
“You know that the Vision Plant brew is illegal, my dear?” said the woman cautiously.
“Yes, it’s not for me, it’s for my aunt, she’s in communications for the Forces, I’m doing her errands today while she’s in the Wild Lands” said Alice casually.
“Oh, very well then. I can supply you with everything except the Pyrora Alithicantra leaves and the Blackbeetle oil. The Pyrora Alithicantra is a native plant of Agara and can only be found there, you can also find the Blackbeetle oil in either Agara or Alora” said the woman cheerfully.
Alice’s stomach sank as the woman shuffled off into the store to find the ingredients, the thought of going back to Agara after having seen the Terra Times earlier made her nervous.
A few minutes later, the woman returned with an average sized, black shopping bag.
“Here you go, my dear, I have put the separate leaves and fungi in their own bags inside and have labelled each bag, so you don’t get them confused, they are all measured exactly to the gram. That will be twenty-two dollars, the Darnalia Afadrya are quite rare now days and the price has recently increased.”
“Thank you, do you know where in Agara the Pyrora Alithicantra and Blackbeetle oil can be found?” asked Alice, handing the woman five five-dollar coins.
“Everything can be found in the market, be careful though, I don’t advise you go there alone, it has become quite dangerous there lately” said the woman, handing Alice back her change.
“Thank you very much, have a good day.”
“Safe journeys, my dear.”
Alice then walked out of the store and made her way back to the Magic Council transportation room, stopping in front of the T.P for Agara and contemplating whether she should go through or not, and after a few minutes of standing there in contemplation, she decided to go for it.
Alice appeared in the Agara transportation room and quickly made her way through the room, and as she walked through the entrance wall and appeared outside, she was met by two men and two women in hooded robes who were obviously members of the People’s Forces.
“Hi, miss, what are you doing here alone?” asked one of the men.
“Hi, I’m not here for long, I just need to quickly pop into the market and pick something up” replied Alice, trying to act casual.
“What is it you need to pick up?” asked the man.
“I’m sorry but that’s rather personal” replied Alice confidently, knowing that they could not stop her from going as there was no ban or restriction in place for being in Agara.
The man looked at the woman who was standing next to him.
“Do you mind if I escort you to the market? There was some violence here yesterday, it’s not very safe at the moment” asked the woman politely.
Alice hesitated for a moment.
“We’re with the People’s Forces” said the woman reassuringly.
“Sure” replied Alice, slightly relieved that the People’s Forces were around.
Alice and the woman then started to make their way up the cobblestone pathway towards the market.
“What’s your name?” asked the woman.
“Alice, and you?”
“Jenna, nice to meet you. Have you been to Agara before?” asked Jenna curiously.
“Yeah, I came here about a week ago for the first time to check out the market.”
“You’re brave coming here alone, do you read the Terra Times?”
“I do, I know it’s dangerous and I know there have been kidnappings, I planned on getting in and out as quickly as possible” replied Alice, knowing where Jenna was getting at.
Jenna smiled at Alice as they continued up the path, and after about ten minutes they passed the cypondra statue, the bodies had been taken down and were no longer there.
“Do you know where you need to go?” asked Jenna as they turned down the crossroad and approached the market.
“Yes, I shouldn’t be too long.”
As they entered the market, Alice noticed one of the local, tattooed men from the day before staring at her as they passed, and as they approached within sight of the woman’s stall where Alice had bought the book from, she stopped and faced Jenna.
“Do you mind waiting here? I’m just going to one of those stalls over there, I’ll be within sight” Alice asked Jenna.
Jenna paused for a moment, staring at Alice curiously.
“Sure.”
“Thanks, I’ll be back soon.”
Alice walked over to the stall and the same elderly woman who had thrown the dagger was standing behind, staring at Alice as she approached. She was wearing a black dress similar to the one that she was wearing the day before and had blue paint under her eyes.
“You have blue paint today” said Alice, smiling at the woman.
The woman stared back at Alice for a moment with a faint smile on her face, and then reached down and picked up a blue bag from underneath the stall, handing it to Alice.
“55 grams Pyrora Alithicantra leaves and one bottle of Blackbeetle oil” said the woman softly.
Alice looked back at the woman in shock.
“You knew I was coming back?” asked Alice, she was torn between being frightened and impressed that the woman had known exactly what she had needed and that she would be bac
k.
The woman continued staring back at Alice in silence.
“Thank you, how much do I owe you?” asked Alice appreciatively.
“Twelve dollars.”
Alice opened her money pouch and handed the woman three five-dollar coins.
“Keep the change, and if that woman standing over there, or anyone in the People’s Forces asks you about me, please don’t tell them anything” said Alice quietly, looking over at Jenna and then turning back to the woman.
The woman slowly nodded her head in response.
“Thank you again, I’ll see you when I see you, I guess. Good luck” said Alice, smiling at the woman and then making her way back to where Jenna was standing.
“You say you you’ve only been here once before?” asked Jenna as they made their way out of the market and up the street.
“Yeah, why?”
“No reason, I was just wondering” replied Jenna curiously.
Alice and Jenna made their way back past the cypondra statue and back to the transportation room.
“Best of luck, Alice” said Jenna as they approached the other three members of the People’s Forces, who were still standing guard at the entrance of the transportation room.
“Thanks for escorting me, Jenna, best of luck to you too” said Alice.
Alice then made her way inside and transported back through to the Student Village, quickly stopping and buying an extra medium sized pot and pot lid, a small measurement cup and a large mesh strainer from the furniture and home appliances store before heading back to her apartment.
Alice walked inside and placed all the materials and ingredients onto the kitchen bench, grabbing a scroll from the bedroom and then walking out onto the balcony.
Brian Hemms
Hi Brian,
If you are free, please meet me at the café at 1pm.
Let me know.
Alice
Alice rolled up the scroll, gave it to Blue and then practiced a couple of different spells on the troll while she waited for Blue to return.
Less than ten minutes later, Blue flew back and dropped the scroll onto the balcony next to Alice.
Alice Teller
Hi Alice,
See you at 1.
Brian
Alice then walked back inside and quickly showered before making her way down to the Student Plaza to meet Brian.
“Hey, what sort of trouble are you trying to get me into now?” asked Brian jokingly as Alice walked into the café and over to where he was sitting, he was already half way through eating a veggie burger.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” asked Alice, smiling and sitting down on the couch next to Brian.
“Not too bad, did you see the article in the Terra Times?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah, I spewed after I read it. You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I had to go back to the Agara market today, I wasn’t there for long though.”
Brian stopped eating and stared at Alice.
“Are you joking?” he asked in disbelief.
“No, I had to get some ingredients, that’s why I needed to speak to you.”
“Okay, yep, I definitely do think you’re crazy” said Brian before taking a large bite his burger.
Alice laughed.
“Also, the strangest thing happened, I went back to the same woman at the market, and as I approached her, she handed me the exact ingredients that I needed without me saying anything about it, she already knew what I was after and that I would be back.”
Brian stared back at Alice in contemplation for a moment.
“I told you that place is weird.”
“Maybe she knew I wouldn’t be able to find those things anywhere else and just assumed I would be back, who knows.”
“Yeah, who knows. So, what’s up? I’m guessing the ingredients you had to go back for were for the Vision Plant?”
“That’s right, this has to stay between you and me, but I’m making the Vision Plant brew tonight. I wanted to ask you if you could be there while I journey, just in case something happens” said Alice quietly.
Brian looked at Alice nervously.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I’m only going to have a small dose, everything is in the book, it should be fine, but I want someone that I can trust to be there just as a precaution.”
Brian hesitated for a moment.
“Sure, I can do that, what time are you planning on doing it?” he asked nervously.
“I’m going to start brewing around two, so I’d say around eleven or twelve tonight, if that’s not too late? I’ll send you a scroll when everything is ready.”
“It takes that long to brew?”
“Yeah, between eight and ten hours.”
“Wow. Alright, yeah, that’s fine, I don’t mind having a late night, I usually don’t get to sleep until after twelve anyways.”
“Thanks, Brian, I owe you one. I just need to get some fresh water now and I’m good to go.”
Brian laughed.
“All the tap water here is fresh.”
“Perfect, well, I better go and get prepared, I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Yeah, see you then, make sure you do everything exactly how you’re supposed to” said Brian as Alice stood up, still looking slightly nervous.
“I will” said Alice, smiling at Brian before making her way out of the café.
Alice paused for a moment as she walked inside and closed the front door, staring at the materials and ingredients on the kitchen bench. She was slightly nervous about preparing the brew by herself, and after a long moment of contemplation, she released the fear that was lingering inside her and motivated herself to get started.
Alice walked into the bathroom to get the book and then placed it down onto the kitchen bench next to the pot, opening to the Preparation & Instructions page. She then emptied the bag of Pyrora Alithicantra leaves into the pot and mixed them around, taking out the small bottle of Blackbeetle oil which was mixed in with the leaves.
Following the instructions, Alice then emptied the rest of the ingredients into the pot in the order which they were listed. The fungi were white with blue tinges and were strange looking, and the flowers were round and had dark blue, horn like petals.
Alice then covered the ingredients with water and placed the pot onto the stove.
Alice waited and watched the pot silently in the kitchen, and after the ingredients had started to lightly boil, just like she had done preparing for the crossing, she sat down and began her meditative self-preparation.
Bloodline of the Pure
Alice stared out at the night sky as Blue flew off into the distance, she felt relaxed and content and was flowing with the present, unhindered by any thoughts or unwanted emotions clinging to her. She had followed the instructions exactly as described, and there was now 5ml of the Vision Plant brew sitting on the kitchen bench inside the measurement cup.
Fifteen minutes later, Alice walked downstairs to let Brian into the building as he arrived, and as they entered back into the apartment, the realness of the situation started to settle inside them both.
“Okay, are you good?” asked Alice.
“Yeah, are you ready?” responded Brian, sounding slightly anxious.
“Yeah, I think so. I was thinking of doing it out on the balcony, we can take one of these stools out for you to sit on if you like.”
“Okay, sounds good, is this the brew?” asked Brian, pointing to the measurement cup, the liquid was light blue and resembled that of tea.
“Yep, that’s the Vision Plant brew, the recommended dose for first time users is five to ten milliliters, I’m only going to drink five.”
“Okay, good idea.”
“Thanks again, Brian.”
“Of course, no worries.”
Alice let out a deep breath.
“Shall we?” she asked, picking up the measurement cup.
Brian nodded his head and picked up one of the stoo
ls, and then they made their way outside onto the balcony.
Alice sat down on the floor with her legs crossed facing out towards the tree and Brian sat on the stool a few meters away facing Alice, and after about thirty seconds of sitting there in silence, Alice drank all the containing liquid out of the cup and covered her eyes.
Alice sat there patiently, looking into the darkness inside her and waiting for the brew to kick in, and after what seemed like ten minutes had passed, colorful geometric patterns started appearing to her.
Alice focused through the geometric patterns with stillness and patience, and after a short moment, the patterns started to fly past her at a great speed until her inner world had transformed into clear sight. She appeared in a forest, it was dusk, and the leaves were blowing violently in the wind. She was in a fixed position looking out at a certain angle of the forest, and as she watched the surrounding trees blowing in the wind, her vision suddenly transformed again, this time into a desert.
She was now soaring over a desolate desert and could see dried shrubs, plants and cactuses below her.
After soaring through the unknown desert for a few seconds, her vision transformed again, she was now staring at a strange green and red plant, the plant was moving as if it were alive and floating underwater.
After briefly viewing the plant, her vision was again suddenly transformed.
Alice was now looking down over a gathering of people, they were in a large room that had a long, black carpet leading up the middle of the room to what looked to be a black throne. The throne was shaped with large, jagged spikes at its top and was above a wide set of stairs looking down over the room.
The room was lit by fires and large lanterns that were built into the surrounding walls and there were ten people in hooded black robes, five on each side of the carpet below the throne, facing each other.
An unhooded girl was standing on top of the stairs in front of the throne overlooking the others, and a man standing below the stairs in the middle of the carpet facing the girl, and after a moment of looking down at the gathering, Alice realized that some type of ceremony was taking place.
