8 Cylus 717
For this particular project, F'mos had already invested a lot of time. Much of it was on his preparations; to gather and process the materials he needed to work with or at least, to wait for the people he hired to do it for him where he lacked the expertise. An outfitter recommended by the 'regulars' of the Curly Hare was entrusted with one of the more important jobs for his project, to make some cloth out of the very odd Frostcap Enoki. A few tests on the mushroom over the course of trials helped the Aukari recognize how he needed the mushroom processed and, what he needed to add for the fibres to retain the particular quality the mushroom was known for.
His project was a result of the awkwardness with his reward from the actors for his help in the last Gem Festival left sitting in his home for seasons. For a 'Lord Faldrun' of any form it fits- as one of the most flamboyant and ostentatious article of clothing he had laid eyes on. The Aukari obviously was not going to use it, although it was less because of the nature of the robe itself and more of the risk of his own eruptions destroying the robe. As it was not something he could wear, it was stuck in his home on display like some trophy which no one would see.
He intended to change that. He could not bring much with him in his desertion and a robe like that would be useful for those occasions which needed some grandeur. However, the first thing he had to do is make sure it would last. As an alchemist, he had no doubts he would be able to solve his problem, eventually. The velvet robe was an expensive piece and one he would find hard to replace especially with the inevitable damage by fire it faced. If F'mos was going to wear it to special occasions, the last thing he needed was to be recognized as an Aukari by literally being a man on fire.
Fortunately, almost all Aukari knew how to protect themselves and their precious belongings from the danger which was themselves. For the former, it was through the use of meditation which they had to be a natural at, or at least most of those able to avoid a fiery death in their younger untempered arcs. F'mos however did not even trust such abilities as he considered them something of that bastard Faldrun. Instead he chose to depend on his own creations such as the Frostbite he always had with him.
For the latter it was much easier. Instead of an eternal mental discipline an Aukari was forced to maintain, all it would take is an application of Golden Salamander resin and any item would be safe. F'mos efforts had allowed him to get an amount he believed was sufficient for his purposes, hopefully. The process was something he was taught but it would be the first time he would have to fireproof something on his own. It would be difficult especially when he had to work with a material he was unfamiliar with.
Which was why he needed to run some tests on his own first. Just so he could be sure he would not ruin that costly velvet robe of his. It would be heartbreaking if his robe was ruined through the process specifically used to prevent the same from his own possible eruptions. Fortunately, F'mos was able to chance on an old, ruined velvet coat at a store. The only second thoughts he had on that purchase was whether or not that coat belonged to anyone important which he concluded, did not. Otherwise, it would not have ended up on sale where he could have easily obtained it.
Its previous owner was likely a man of taste as the Aukari despite his views on Etzori fashion, thought it was an interesting piece. He would rather have something like it in its prime rather than the robe which was a satire of his own race's patron Immortal. As that was an impossibility, F'mos would have to be content with the next best thing. As the Aukari mindset of eventually going out in a blaze of glory if all went according to Faldrun's plan, so will the coat will see as much use as it could even at the end of its life.
F'mos had the coat cut into pieces by the store the moment he purchased it, with only the more intricate parts salvaged because he had grown fond of it. Perhaps eventually, he may even see it repurposed for another piece of clothing. The amount he had would be enough for a few tests which the Aukari hoped would be enough as even if he could obtain more scrap velvet, finding more Frostcap Enoki in Cylus would be a challenging task and he had enough of delays to his project that he would abandon it with more.
After numerous tests which resulted in plenty of ruined strips of velvet and some other intriguing products he may have a use for in the future, F'mos was sure he was ready to process his robe for real. Actually, it was Lizzie who was ready to process the robe for him. The girl's delicate hands had always been more suited for the fine work required in his alchemy which F'mos believed benefitted them both; him with a product of higher quality and Lizzie with more knowledge which could help her survive better in the future in whatever trade she chose.
As her guardian, F'mos could only hope that her chosen trade would be a lucrative one. The Aukari needed a backup plan to support him in the future should he fail in his ambitions. It may not be the reason he took the girl in as she was only meant to be his cover while he was in Etzos but, plans change and if the change was more beneficial to him he had no complaints about it.
After he made sure the girl had followed his instructions properly on where the Frostcap Enoki cloth had to go in the robe, F'mos had her continue with the next step. He could have applied the Golden Salamander resin on his own as it was even more important than the custom cloth he had made, but as he told Lizzie "my hands too big and clumsy, and you need to learn." To his credit, he at least stuck around to watch her. A lot of Aukari mentors in Sirothelle would rather leave it to their apprentices to work on their own. To sink or swim as the saying goes.
It was likely the same process he was put through as it became his own approach to alchemy. F'mos evaluated Lizzie's work and pointed out the corrections to be made as needed, especially where the mushroom cloth had not been properly sewn into the robe. Only after it was perfect he could allow them to proceed with the next step as it would be too hard to make any other corrections. A special blend of cooling agents and heat resistant substances he was told of just like the Frostcap Enoki, was filled into a container with the newly improved robe dipped in overnight.
The next morning would show him there was a benefit to working on his project in Cylus and that was it maintained the low temperature of the robe, in addition to the Frostcap Enoki fibres now in it. After the robe was dried out, F'mos and Lizzie both applied the Golden Salamander resin in and out of the robe. The resin too was another special blend with some oils, to allow the resin to better fix itself into the robe and then to make sure that the resin would never pass from it. It was a long process with both the alchemist and his assistant putting layer upon layer of the resin to make sure it evenly spread over the garment.
It took another few trials before the modifications to the robe could truly be considered to be complete and the Aukari found it satisfactory after he tried it on. However, he found the robe to be lacking something. While the robe did a good job of reducing his own body's heat and was resistant to fire- at least the mundane fire he tested it with, some interactions with Lizzie made it clear it was not good enough to hide the nature of his body. The inherent high temperature of his which would oust him as an Aukari which he would prefer not to. Fortunately he quickly found a great solution to that problem too.
More of that specific gemstone he bought along with all the others at the last gem Festival would do. Due to the nature of his own customized piece from the last Gem Festival, it was easy enough for the Aukari to track down the person who made it for him. From the meeting which followed, he was able to confirm the item he wanted to make was possible if he could secure a proper source of it. As it would be a lot harder for F'mos to locate the same merchant he got his gems from, he decided to ask the craftsman to point him to another supplier.
Maybe he would not be swindled either.
With his own gem as a sample, the woman easily identified it as the Fernstone. The Aukari was quite happy as he thought he would be able to get more until he was told... it was in fucking Scalvoris. Surely she would have had more, or at least that was what he asked but then she told him gems normally not found in Etzos would only be gotten in anticipation of the Gem Festival. Unfortunately for F'mos, the next Gem Festival was seasons away. Far too long if he wanted to make use of his product. However when the woman suggested he could get what he wanted if he could wait until the next Festival, the Aukari saw an opportunity.
It took some convincing, some promises and some other things but eventually, F'mos was able to place an order for what he hoped would be enough of those Fernstones for himself. One large bunch of the stones to be brought from Scalvoris along with whatever else the woman had to get for herself from the Festival, half paid upfront with no refunds in case the shipment was unable to get through for whatsoever reason with the rest to be paid after the items were delivered, straight to the person to process the stones F'mos added and he was set. All he had to do then, was wait until the next Festival.
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