Alchemical Creations: New Heights
A Clover Guild Story
By Ribombee-anon
I didn’t know what to expect when Ikarus called me and Booker into his lab, but I never woulda guessed he wanted help with a “height potion”.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Allow me to explain,” the weird Typhlosion said. He looked at my partner, who was sitting with some Dreepy on a table nearby. “Booker, I imagine you long for the days when you possessed a greater stature. Unlike most humans in this guild, I was fortunate enough to retain my size after transforming, so I pity those who diminished. And none have diminished more than you. Except that one metallic fellow who collects coins, but he’s never around. I really should visit him someday. He’s in the treasury, if I—”
One of the Dreepy hovered over to Ikarus and gestured.
“Ah, my apologies. I’m rambling again,” said Ikarus. “You see, Sneasel and Booker, I decided to formulate a new potion to help my less fortunate comrades regain their lost height. I have tested it thoroughly, but now I need a live test subject to drink it so I can observe its effects. I thought you might enjoy this opportunity, Booker, so I called on you.”
“Oh, well, th-thank you for the offer,” Booker said. “I appreciate your concern for the smaller humans here. B-but I’m accustomed to this size by now, so... I don’t r-really feel a need to be big again.”
“Truly?” asked Ikarus.
“Hey, being small ain’t so bad,” one of the Dreepy said. “I mean, if we were too big, you couldn’t throw us! Just ask Gluttony, hehe.”
On cue, another Dreepy flew at Ikarus. He chucked her across the room, and she went “Whee!” as she flew.
“You have a point,” said Ikarus. “Fortunately, I predicted that some may have second thoughts, so I also concocted an atterlothe that nullifies the effects of the first potion. If a problem arises, or you’re unhappy with the results, you can simply take it and revert to your original state.”
I crossed my arms. “Well, if you can undo it anytime, sounds like there ain’t really a downside. But I dunno if I trust your potions. I’ve heard about the weird stuff you get up to in here.”
“I assure you, those reports are exaggerated!” said Ikarus.
“Mostly,” a Dreepy chimed in.
Ikarus rolled his eyes.
“Your call, Booker,” I said. I glanced at him, and saw him pushing away a Dreepy with long eyelashes who was trying to snuggle up with him. I grabbed her by the tail and flicked her away.
“Th-thanks,” Booker said. “Um... Ikarus, I’ve h-heard you talk about your work before. Despite your, uh... reputation, it sounds like you know what you’re doing. B-but are you certain this potion is safe? And the atterlothe will work?”
“Certainly!”
“And how much bigger will this make me?”
“Good question,” I said. “I don’t want him getting too tall. I like being the big one.”
“I’ll only give you a small dose,” said Ikarus, “and the results should be insignificant. You should grow one inch at most.”
“That’s not too extreme... and I’m already sh-short for a Ribombee,” Booker murmured. “Alright, Ikarus. If you’d like my assistance, then... I’m w-willing to try this potion.”
From his tone and his fidgeting, I could tell Booker wasn’t super confident. He was probably just trying to be nice by agreeing with Ikarus. On the bright side, we had a nurse one floor up, so if anything went sideways, I could rush him over there.
“Splendid!” said Ikarus. He ran to a shelf and grabbed a jar, pouring a few drops of blue liquid into a little bowl. He gave it to Booker, who drank it up.
Me, Ikarus, and the Dreepy all stared at Booker and waited. He avoided all our eyes and looked awkward—he never liked people watching him.
For a while, nothing happened. Then my partner grunted and toppled over.
My heart stopped. “Booker!” I yelled. I scooped him up in my claws and held him up close to my face, praying he was still with me.
“Oh dear,” said Ikarus.
“Is he alright?” asked a Dreepy.
I peered at Booker. His eyes were shut, but I could barely see him breathing, and his face twitched. He wasn’t gone. Yet.
I snarled at Ikarus. “What the hell did you do? What was in that potion?”
The Typhlosion waved his paws. “N-nothing too strange. Rehmannia root, red sage, turmeric, cornel cherry—”
“Well, that sounds—”
“—Goodra mucus, Seviper venom, deadly nightshade—”
Oh, come on.
“Gods, you’re an idiot!” I yelled. “I’m dumb and even I know you don’t eat that kinda stuff!”
Some Dreepy laughed while Ikarus stammered. “B-but I processed them thoroughly!” he said. “They must be safe for consumption by now!”
I shoved my limp partner in his face. “Well, Booker sure as hell doesn’t agree!”
I ran for the clinic with Booker in my paws. I heard Ikarus coming after me, yelling about how I oughta use his antidote thing. Yeah, no. I ain’t ever gonna trust his concoctions again.
* * *
Good news: Kina healed Booker. It was tricky cuz she had to deal with a few different poisons at once, and she didn’t wanna use Ikarus’ antidote (smart gal), so she had to find another way to save him. But Ikarus told her what was in the potion, which helped her figure out what to do. And after Booker got stable again, Kina chewed Ikarus out for being stupid, which was super fun to watch.
Before he went back to his lab, Ikarus apologized a bunch. I just growled at him.
Booker was up and running by sunset. I could tell he was shaken by what happened, but he asked me to forgive Ikarus. I told him I had a better idea: next time that quack alchemist wants us to test something, I’m gonna shove it down his gullet first and see how he likes it. That’ll really give him a taste of his own medicine!
My homepage: https://rentry.org/RibombeeHomepage Clover Guild homepage: https://cloverguild.com