14th of Fall, 518 A.V.
That morning he awoke, and she had already gone about her day. With a groan Kynier got up and went to the wardrobe to get dressed. While he would’ve liked to have laid in bed for another ten chimes and enjoy the ability to relax there were too many concerns to deal with. The first being that he had a report that was due for Doler. And there were several questions that he wanted to ask the wizard. Once he was dressed he moved out to the kitchen and quickly put together some dried meats and cheese for a meal. Then he gathered some fruits for later. While he ate his breakfast, his mind called forth his djed. Early morning magic was easier than any other time it felt. The mind was clear of distraction, so the djed came to his summons quickly.
With a small burst of power, he dislodged his astral hand from the physical one. The physical hand fell limp at his side while the astral reached up to a bowl that rested on top of the tallest shelf in the kitchen. It was a bowl that had been given to him by a ghost hunter. It wasn’t truly any different from the rest of the kitchenware. But he kept it separate simply due to its function. Setting the bowl on the counter, the mage took out a bit of flour, some more cheese, and an egg they had collected the day before from the chickens. The astral hand mixed all three things together in the bowl until it formed an unappealing brown paste.
Then Kynier reattached his astral limp to the physical. It was a faster process than before but still took quite a while. Once after flexing his fingers a few times he drew the dagger strapped to the back of his belt and made a small cut on the palm of his hand. Thin droplets of red seeped from the cut which he added to the mixture. As he stirred it, the color darkened just slightly. Now it was time for the part he disliked the least. But for a moment Kynier stared down at the past, thinking on what it was that Anja had said, about regurgitation. Since the incident at the Dust Beds, Kynier had taken to forming some soulmist each day as a precaution. It was still very weak when he formed it, but he had not tried regurgitation yet. Would that make it stronger?
After a few breaths for mental preparation, Kynier lifted the bowl and tilted the contents into his mouth. His jaw worked at grinding the paste between his teeth. An expression of discomfort that almost looked like physical pain covered his face as his eyes were tightly shut. Kynier concentrated on the djed within the paste and manipulating it physically and mentally. After a chime he paused and nervously tilted his head back. He swallowed once, getting part of the paste to slide down his throat. The thickness and foul taste made his arms and shoulders shudder. With two more swallows he had all of it down.
All of it could be felt sliding down. Already his body wanted to expel it back but he tried breathing through it. Eyes still closed he continued to concentrate on pulling out the djed from the three ingredients. But the nausea continued to grow in intensity. Kynier’s face felt blanched and he realized that he wouldn’t be able to hold it in much longer. Gripping the Spiritism Bowl with both hands, Kynier leaned over the counter and opened his mouth, chin tilted to align his mouth more with his esophagus. A convulsion rippled through his body as his stomach tightened and forced the paste back up.
Eyes watered in discomfort and his breath stilled as the diaphragm assisted in the regurgitation. With a sickening cough that nearly sounded like a wet belch, an off-white material came from his mouth and dropped into the bowl. Kynier took a few steadying breaths as he straightened his back. The back of his hand brushed the wetness of his eyes away and he looked at the result of his little experiment. The soulmist was still not nearly as white as what he had seen the Ghost Hunter produce. But it did look… more potent. Whether that was due to the extra time in his body, or the process of regurgitation, was something he would have to test more. Kynier swallowed the remaining bile and took a drink of water to wash the taste from his mouth. Eating before the test had also been a bad idea.
Word Count: 772
Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
