"What do all great mages have in common?" Vell asked.
This was his first one-on-one session with one of the witches.
Technically, it was two-on-one, since Sonder was there too.
"Age?" the alchemy-focused witch guessed.
Vell nodded, though that wasn't his point.
"Okay, what do all great alchemists have in common?" He reiterated.
"…Age?" she repeated.
He rubbed his temples.
"They have a refined sense of taste and an excellent memory. Good thing I went shopping—I have plenty of ingredients to go through."
With no alchemy laboratory available, they made do with the kitchen. Vell walked over to a cabinet, retrieving a few already prepared bowls.
Vell set the bowls down on the wooden counter, their contents carefully arranged. Dried herbs, crushed minerals, powdered roots, and small vials of vividly colored liquids lined up in a neat row. Some were common, like rosemary and powdered charcoal. Others shimmered with a faint glow, hinting at their magical properties.
The witch leaned forward, peering at the selection.
"So we're just… tasting things?" she asked, as if it were too easy of a task.
Vell smirked. "Hope you don't poison yourself."
She shot him a look. "That's encouraging."
Vell ignored her hesitation, picking up a small wooden spoon and scooping a pinch of fine white powder onto it. "Alchemy is as much about precision as it is about instinct. And instincts can be trained. A good alchemist needs to identify ingredients at a glance—by smell, by taste." He held out the spoon. "Try this."
She eyed the powder suspiciously. "What is it?"
"Plain sugar."
She licked it off the spoon, her expression remaining neutral. "Okay, sweet. What's the lesson?"
Vell pulled another bowl forward, this one containing a nearly identical fine white powder. He scooped another spoonful. "And this?"
The witch hesitated, then took the sample. The moment it touched her tongue, her face scrunched up in disgust. "Ugh! That's salt!"
Sonder couldn't help but snicker.
Vell, however, remained serious. "See? Same appearance, completely different properties. One enhances sweetness, the other suppresses it. A good alchemist doesn't just memorize formulas—they understand ingredients. You need to be able to tell what something is without needing a label."
The witch wiped her tongue against the sleeve of her robe. "Alright, so you want me to just taste a bunch of stuff and memorize it?"
"Partially." Vell moved down the counter, plucking up a small vial of thick, golden liquid. "Taste is only one part. You need to recognize texture, viscosity, even how something reacts when combined with another ingredient."
He poured a drop of the liquid onto the back of her hand. "Try it."
She licked it hesitantly. Her expression shifted, eyes narrowing. "Honey… but there's something else?"
Vell nodded approvingly. "Good. It's honey, alright, but not from bees. It's from western ants—more conductive to magic."
Sonder perked up—she had never heard of such a thing before. "Ant honey?"
The witch gave her a bewildered glance. She hadn't heard of it either. For a moment, they looked at each other.
Vell sighed and continued. "The point is, you need to train your palate. Ingredients change slightly based on where they're grown, how they're stored, even what time of year they're harvested. That knowledge makes the difference between a basic potion and a truly effective one. But right now, you just need to recognize them."
The witch rolled her shoulders. "Alright. Let's do it."
For the next hour, Vell guided her through a gauntlet of flavors, textures, and smells. She sampled bitter roots, tingling powders, and floral syrups, all while trying to distinguish the minute differences between them. It was frustrating, and more than once, she made a disgusted noise at an unexpectedly intense flavor. But slowly, she started to recognize patterns.
Once or twice, Sonder tasted something herself—usually anything with a pleasant flavor.
By the end of the lesson, the witch sat back and held her stomach. "This is harder than I thought. And my stomach is beginning to churn."
"Alchemists have stomachs of iron," Vell reminded her.
Sonder was grinning. "I think the real lesson here is that you'll eat anything Vell hands you."
The witch threw a dried leaf at Sonder, who caught it effortlessly.
"Alright, settle down," Vell said, "lesson over. Next time, we're testing scent recognition."