The Scientific Alchemist

Elias forced his body to stand up from the stool he was on. As much as it screamed for him to just lay back and let whatever was killing him do its job, he refused.

First thing’s first, he needed to quench this thirst that he had been feeling since he woke up.

And take a bath, since he currently smelt of herbs, sweat, blood and whatever else was mixed in between.

Turning around, he finally got a clear view of the room he was in. This seemed to be some sort of alchemy lab, judging by the cauldron, herbs and glowing liquids in bottles, it also seemed to be his bedroom as there was a bed in a corner of the room.

A thought that Elias’s memories confirmed.

Following the memories of his predecessor, Elias walked towards the door, grabbed the handle and pulled it open only to immediately flinch as the light of from the sun hit his face.

It was a huge contrast to his dark lab/room that was only kept lit by some glowing stones.

Elias squinted, raising a trembling hand to shield his eyes. The sudden brightness blinded him, making him dizzy. For a moment, he had to lean against the doorframe, waiting for his vision to adjust.

His eyes soon adjusted and before him was a road of barely maintained cobblestone, with grass sprouting out the gaps between them.

Compared to the stuffy scent of herbs in his lab, the scent of smoke, unwashed bodies and damp wood of the outside felt almost relaxing.

Banking the sides of the cobblestone road, were barely spaced houses made of stones and timber.

This was the outskirts of Calderholt, a small border town away from the jurisdiction of the Alchemists’ Guild. His predecessor had lived here for three years now, barely surviving from the kindness of the villagers and some of his failed potions.

Like him, Calderholt was considered a failure as the soil refused to produce crops, the water sources always carried a faint metallic taste, and the winters came earlier here than anywhere else in the region. Merchants passed through, but never stayed.

Even bandits didn’t bother with Calderholt, after all, there was nothing to take.

That’s why Calderholt was popularly known as the cursed lands. A land even the gods themselves refused to set foot on.

From former Elias’s memories, this was a land no one wanted, not the two kingdoms stuck in a war, not the Alchemists, not the rich nobles, not even the desperate refugees fleeing the warfronts.

They would rather risk the blades of soldiers than make a life here, where the land itself seemed to wither beneath the touch of men.

The only ones who remained were either outcasts, servants abandoned by their Lords or like him.... Failures.

But even they were moving away as the years passed and the residents in the entire Calderholt, including its outskirts, barely numbered over a thousand.

But none of that was Elias’s concerning for now, after all right now, he needed water, and a bath.

The sun rays was warm on his skin, almost uncomfortably so after days, no, weeks, of confinement in the lab.

His throat tightened at the sight of a water trough down the road, next to a cluster of shabby wooden houses.

It wasn’t much, but it would do.

Elias licked his dry lips. He needed water before his body collapsed completely.

Then a bath and then, back to planning.

As he stepped out, people turned to glance at him. A few children pointed and whispered but their parents were quick to stop them.

Though the surprise on their faces wasn’t hidden well enough. They fully expected him to be dead at this point, his body succumbed to his disease after weeks of being locked up in the lab.

Elias ignored their stares, forcing one unsteady step after another down the cobblestone road. His limbs felt extremely heavy and each step he took felt like a chore.

When he reached the trough, he crouched down with effort, cupping the water with trembling hands.

The surface reflected a pale, sickly face, sunken cheeks, dull eyes and skin that stretched too tightly over bone, he truly looked disgusting.

The water was lukewarm and carried the faint metallic tang he remembered from his predecessor’s memories.

But to his parched throat, it tasted divine. He drank greedily, letting it spill down his chin, until the burning in his throat subsided.

For the first time since waking in this body, Elias felt the haze in his mind clear just enough for him to properly think.

He stood back up, his body now allowing him much more control.

Still following his memories, Elias slowly walked towards the outskirts of the town, leaving behind the whispering residents who still hadn’t recovered from the shock of him being alive.

He walked past half collapsed cottages, once homes to residents that had abandoned Calderholt for better towns and cities in the kingdom.

The more he continued forward, the lesser the houses, until they completely disappeared, leaving him in the wilderness.

His predecessor’s memories guided his path: a small stream lay just beyond the northern treeline, a place he had often used when his own lab became too suffocating.

He soon came across the stream, its water glittered in the sunlight, its surface broken only by the occasional darting fish.

Compared to the trough in the village, this was a treasure.

Elias knelt at the bank, letting the cool water run over his fingers before splashing his face. The chill of the water against his face was somewhat calming, as it washed away the sticky sweat and grime.

He stripped off his soiled robes with a grunt, revealing the full extent of his frailty.

His ribs were completely visible against his skin, every movement he made showed exactly how wasted this body had become.

Slowly, he walked towards the stream, his feet sinking slightly into the damp soil as he stepped into the shallows. The cold hit him immediately, sending a sharp jolt up his legs, but he pressed on and continued until the water reached his waist.

Elias sucked in a sharp intake of breath as the chill of the water caused him to tremble. But he kept moving deeper until the current was at his chest.

Leaning back into the water, he let his body and head sink. He stayed like that for a few minutes, eyes open and staring at the God rays that danced in the water.

Everything felt quiet down here, but his lungs couldn’t take it for much longer and he was forced to resurface.

He wiped the water that streamed off his face from his hair, before pushing it backwards.

"Alright then," Elias muttered, "let’s see if I can patch this corpse up."