War Post #4: Burning the Midnight Oil
{Day 14: 5.30am}
Anissina pushed the hair out of her eyes and stepped back from the table she had been hunched over. It had been a long day, too long. She hadn't been to bed yet and there was still things to do. Shinou had asked her to change the formula slightly. Of course, with any small change, it took a lot of time.
The first step was wandering around the camp and picking up materials. If she had been in her own laboratory it would have been simple but out here she had to scrounge each ingredient. In fact, she had a small group of soldiers who "volunteered" to help her with the scrounging. They also helped her set up a small tent away from the rest of the camp. And it was there that she mixed and measured and distilled and tested.
Small explosions and puffs of multicoloured smoke were the only sign of where she was hiding. She watched liquids change colour and bubble until finally, long after the sun had set, she finally had what she wanted. She politely asked for a volunteer and one of the guards nervously stepped forward. She smiled nicely at him and dropped a small amount of the liquid at his feet. As soon as it did, he had just about enough time to say that he didn't think it was working before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed into a deep sleep. Anissina quickly gave him the antidote and watched anxiously as he blinked and woke up. She had done it.
The guards cheered, partially because she didn't need any more guinea pigs. Anissina smiled and told them to get some sleep as she started to put through a production run of the chemical. It would several hours for enough to be produced for distribution to the Kohi's. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before ducking out of the tent. Everything was set up and the distillation process would work unwatched.
She walked to the mess tent and grabbed a quick bite of food and a warm drink. She still had lists and lists to do up. She finished quickly and went to find the tents where the dead had been laid out and talked briefly to the people who were writing down the names. She walked through and recognized their faces. She sighed and took one of the lists from one of the people and continued what he had started. The first rays of morning had just crawled over the horizon when she had finished.
She thanked everyone and headed back to her little laboratory tent and started to bottle the concoction. Another half hour and she was finished. She bagged the bottles and started back towards the Shinou's tent to give him the bottles. However he was not there. She dropped by the healer's tents and poking her head in, discovered the Shinou helping out. She didn't disturb him but left the bag with one of the guards outside leaving instuctions for him to give it to the Shinou when he was done.
With that, she headed off towards the large tent that stored the recovered possessions and started listing them. It was then that she noticed a sword, one she had seen before. She had a slightly strange feeling when she went near it. She tried to remember when she had felt it last and it all clicked. It was Alford's sword. She quickly wrapped it and called a guard to bring the holy sword to her tent. When they recovered the boy, she would return it to him... or else return it to his lovers. She rubbed her eyes again and continued her work. Finally, a commotion disturbed her and she poked her head out.
Anissina pushed the hair out of her eyes and stepped back from the table she had been hunched over. It had been a long day, too long. She hadn't been to bed yet and there was still things to do. Shinou had asked her to change the formula slightly. Of course, with any small change, it took a lot of time.
The first step was wandering around the camp and picking up materials. If she had been in her own laboratory it would have been simple but out here she had to scrounge each ingredient. In fact, she had a small group of soldiers who "volunteered" to help her with the scrounging. They also helped her set up a small tent away from the rest of the camp. And it was there that she mixed and measured and distilled and tested.
Small explosions and puffs of multicoloured smoke were the only sign of where she was hiding. She watched liquids change colour and bubble until finally, long after the sun had set, she finally had what she wanted. She politely asked for a volunteer and one of the guards nervously stepped forward. She smiled nicely at him and dropped a small amount of the liquid at his feet. As soon as it did, he had just about enough time to say that he didn't think it was working before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed into a deep sleep. Anissina quickly gave him the antidote and watched anxiously as he blinked and woke up. She had done it.
The guards cheered, partially because she didn't need any more guinea pigs. Anissina smiled and told them to get some sleep as she started to put through a production run of the chemical. It would several hours for enough to be produced for distribution to the Kohi's. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before ducking out of the tent. Everything was set up and the distillation process would work unwatched.
She walked to the mess tent and grabbed a quick bite of food and a warm drink. She still had lists and lists to do up. She finished quickly and went to find the tents where the dead had been laid out and talked briefly to the people who were writing down the names. She walked through and recognized their faces. She sighed and took one of the lists from one of the people and continued what he had started. The first rays of morning had just crawled over the horizon when she had finished.
She thanked everyone and headed back to her little laboratory tent and started to bottle the concoction. Another half hour and she was finished. She bagged the bottles and started back towards the Shinou's tent to give him the bottles. However he was not there. She dropped by the healer's tents and poking her head in, discovered the Shinou helping out. She didn't disturb him but left the bag with one of the guards outside leaving instuctions for him to give it to the Shinou when he was done.
With that, she headed off towards the large tent that stored the recovered possessions and started listing them. It was then that she noticed a sword, one she had seen before. She had a slightly strange feeling when she went near it. She tried to remember when she had felt it last and it all clicked. It was Alford's sword. She quickly wrapped it and called a guard to bring the holy sword to her tent. When they recovered the boy, she would return it to him... or else return it to his lovers. She rubbed her eyes again and continued her work. Finally, a commotion disturbed her and she poked her head out.