During the next few days, Bruno was getting accustomed to the new way of living. He would start the day with some simple exercises to make the blood flow through the body. He used to do this every day in his previous life since he discover it had a positive effect on him and his work.
Then he meditated for several minutes to calm his mind, and get focused. After that, he would start his experiments. There was not much he could do, since Nathan still had to provide a bunch of key ingredients for the prototypes of his formula.
Especially the leaves of the raisin tree, since they were looking promising, and quite easy to acquire compared to other plants he requested.
There were also animal parts, but those seemed to be the hardest to obtain, so he didn't want to focus on them right away, in caste there were better and cheaper alternatives.
After few hours Viki would come with some food. He would then take a break to eat, and chat with her. Usually, about the progress, the kids made in terms of the stuff they needed for this project.
He would return to work after the little conversation, and with another exercise break, he would continue until the nightfall, when Viki would return with some more food.
Everything continued in the same manner, with occasional differences, when he would go to Nathan, and ask for testing his creation on the local drunkards. The potions had diffrent effects. Some were quite helpful with the hangover, some didn't work at all. There were also side effects from time to time, but nothing he didn't expect occurred.
Still, the formulas he tried were not matching the expectations he had, so Bruno considered them all failures.
That day was different though, as something he actually was waiting for, since quite a while, finally happened. Nathan paid him a visit.
- I need a poison - he said straight away.
- What kind? - asked the young alchemist, as he stopped mixing two substances.
Another prototype of his formula.
- Working kind.
- But what are the effects you need? You want somebody dead, sick, paralyzed... Define your expectations.
- Dead - said Nathan with a sour smile on his face.
This told Bruno that he wasn't actually really knowing what he was doing.
- How will you apply the poison?
- Just do what I'm asking you for - he greeted his teeth and on his face appeared a shadow of anger.
- I need to know that, to make the most suitable thing for your plan.
- I will make them drink it.
- Are you planning on adding it to your victim's drinks? Will you perhaps be celebrating something with them? I can make something that will seem like normal alcohol.
He nodded.
- Do that.
- I will need few things. A furnace, some freshly cut wood from a leafy tree, and a lot of coal - he said and turned away from Nathan to have a look at his equipment. - Yes... That's all I will need.
- Pack the necessary stuff, and meet me outside - said the thug.
- Then send Viki here, I will need a bit of help.
Nathan put some of the chewing tobacco from his pocket to his mouth, then nodded, and left. Viki arrived soon after that.
- What do you need me for.
- I need you to help me take few things - he pointed a the equipment and immediately took a part of it.
Viki came closer to take the rest.
- I will also need you to get me some new books - the boy whispered to her.
She froze, looking at him, carefully, then nodded. They both left with some containers made out of glass and clay to meet with Nathan, who was already waiting outside, chewing the tobacco.
Without a single word he led them to a potting workshop, where he instructed them to wait, as he went inside. It was a small space, with a lot of ceramic placed both inside and outside. Some of it could be seen from the street through the windows, and the open door.
Bruno noticed as Nathan exchanged few words with the owner and paid him few coins. Then he came outside.
- You can use his workshop at the back for the rest of the day - he said to the young alchemist. - Guys will bring you what you need, shortly.
Bruno, not wasting any time, went inside, where the owner led him to a backroom. There was machinery to make the clay rotate, using pedals and wooden gears, to shape it into pots. There was also a furnace. Pretty big, specially made for firing pottery with a space where it could sit on the flat surface, surrounded by flames, and bellows to raise the temperature. There was a pile of charcoal inside, alongside quite a big amount of clay, and a barrel filled with water. The rest of the space was mainly occupied by even more pottery than at the front of the shop.
Bruno immediately started preparing everything to attempt a process of dry distilling the wood. He knew about it, not from the books, but rather thanks to the knowledge he had from his past life.
Viki watched him working carefully and helped where she could. Soon they got everything prepared The young thieves appeared shortly after with the requested wood and a wheelbarrow full of coal. The workshop had enough charcoal so he actually didn't need all of that, but since they brought it, he put it all to use.
When everything was prepared, and the constructions of containers got placed in the furnace, alongside the wood, he started the fire.
With that done there was nothing much more to do except to make sure the temperature will be as high as it possibly could, which meant working a bit with the bellows. He started doing it and quickly learned that it wasn't as easy as it looked. Viki would change him from time to time, as his young muscles were not prepared for continuous hard work.
By the end of the day, they had a single bottle of poison and returned back to the warehouse. They had to leave the rest of the equipment to cool down through the night. Nathan waited for them outside.
- Here - said Bruno offering him a bottle with a cork in it. - It should smell and taste just like alcohol but do not try to sniff it, and especially drink it. It's pretty potent, so you could go blind by just inhaling this stuff. The amount should be more than enough for whatever you need.
The leader of thieves first looked at Viki, and made a gesture, ordering her to go inside.
- Have you told her what this is? - he asked as soon as she vanished inside.
- No, but she is not dumb. She probably figured it out. By the way, I will need more books to expand my knowledge.
- I'll think about that. You might go now.
- I'm gonna take a walk, to stretch my legs. It has been a long day of work
Nathan shrugged his shoulders, spat the tobacco on the ground, and vanished into the door leading to the warehouse.
Bruno on the other hand started his walk, and wandered through the streets for some time, heading towards the harbor. During the night it wasn't that busy there, but few people were still walking around. Some drunkards staggered around, attempting to go somewhere, but they themselves probably didn't know where. A few, not hammered enough, sang some songs, mainly about fucking and drinking. There was a lot of laughing involved in it.
He ended up sitting at the end of a pier, surrounded by boats, with his legs hanging above the water, and watching the stars. He needed to think. The fact that Nathan started playing with poisons could mean few things but mainly trouble in various forms.
This was obviously going to happen sooner or later, but he didn't expect it soo soon. He needed to get rid of him before it was too late, but to do that, he first needed to find his connection to Edward Samson, or rather to some captain from the legendary pirate's fleet.
- What are you thinking off? - Viki asked suddenly.
She surprised him, but he could hear her footsteps on the wood, so he knew that somebody was coming.
- Thinking.
- About what?
- About trouble. I need another favor.
- You always need a favor.
- I will pay you back for every single one of them.
She snorted slightly.
- What do you need?
- More books. I already asked Nathan for them, but I want you to offer him to find and steal them for me. This time though I want some history and geography books alongside the botany and alchemy stuff.
- It's not easy to get books...
- I know, so take your time.
She sighed.
- Hey... The thing we made today, was it...
- Yes - he interrupted her. - Another poison, but you already knew that, didn't you?
- I did. Do you know what he needed it for?
- No, but I'm sure we will soon find out. Let's go back. I'm tired - he said, and picked himself up.
They headed to the warehouse together.