Glint flitted through the Variisis Core of the Last City until he spotted the hoses and tubing of Eido's brewing station snaking through the rafters. The tank churned and hummed, surrounded by botanical pallets carefully labeled but strewn haplessly about. A rabbit rose on its haunches to inspect a clay pot full of berries and herbs.

Glint giggled, only to find himself suddenly plucked from the air by Eido as a porous black pillar bubbled and climbed from her workstation, the acrid smell of burnt sugar erupting with it. She held the Ghost tightly, away from the ripples of steam, and thrust a beaker into a bucket of water and sodium bicarbonate.

Eido gently released Glint and wiped her brow.

"What—what was that?!" he exclaimed.

"Concentrated sulfuric acid. Unfortunately, not the degradation effect I was looking for."

Glint gave her a meaningful look. "I thought reading the Deck of Whispers was dangerous enough."

Eido shook her head. "An Apothecary is only as dangerous as her ignorance, but the Apothecaries of Riis were masters of botany, herbalism, medicine. Their work was volatile in nature. Secretive. Terminology is sometimes convoluted. Even coded. Or both! As a Scribe, I can't even scratch the surface of some of these old recipes."

Glint bobbed knowingly. "Not to mention that High Speak is incredibly complex. So many words hold so many meanings."

"And their combinations, even more so. Plus, one must understand the original context in these recipes." Eido presented a datapad. "Take this example, likely from some time after the Edge Wars."

Glint read until his iris grew wide with wonder. "Is this saying… dragon's blood? You mean… Ahamkara?"

"Not at all. From what I can discern in other texts, it is a shorthand reference to a plant with sap that ran thick, like blood."

Glint considered for a moment. "What if we can't find dragon's blood here?"

"Precisely," Eido said and pointed to the clay pot beside her. "If a tonic recipe calls for a berry, are Earth's strawberries a close enough cousin? Chemical experimentation is required, which may open up a world of new possibilities."

Glint glanced toward Eido's earlier experiment. "Or the potential for disaster."

"Either way, the key to unlocking these recipes will take time. Which is in rather limited supply these days, I'm afraid," Eido sighed.

"It's a daunting task. But! There's good news," Glint offered. He swirled through the air and landed on Eido's shoulder. "You've got lots of help."