Chapter 7 - A True Prodigy

The walk seemed both silent and foreboding as Haryk led the way. Sylvie picked up on how uncomfortable Haryk appeared to be, yet her Mother did not seem overly concerned about the High Elves.

‘What did Haryk know?’ Sylvie thought she was rather curious about it.

Though Sylvie could do nothing but continue following Haryk, she decided to focus entirely on the assessment. After Haryk pulled out his badge again a few times, informing them he was there for her assessment, they passed some guards, who waved them in.

She glanced around and found looks of scepticism when they had to be informed once again that she was here for the assessment, not her Mother.

One even seemed to shake their head and looked at Haryk with a condescending glare that made Sylvie even more determined to pass.

Finally reaching the assessment room, Sylvie saw what appeared to be a room with a set-up that resembled a large school chemistry lab on Earth, though if the room was fantasy-inspired.

The equipment was magical and empowered by essence. Sylvie was already familiar with such equipment, having used an identical set in Haryk shop.

There, she saw a group of Wood Elves who seemed to be like her, awaiting to be assessed, and what appeared to be the assessors themselves nearby.

Assessments are held quarterly throughout the year. Haryk informed her well over a month ago that this would be her first opportunity to do the evaluation. However, he would only be satisfied enough to recommend her if she could brew the Potion of Vigour to a suitable standard.

Only yesterday had she finally brewed all five potions to the high standard he had set for herself, giving him the assurance he asked for.

The Wood Elves regarded her immediately as soon as they appeared, watching her, her mother, and Haryk with a mixture of searching gazes. Haryk was recognised by many mentors there who accompanied their pupils, and she noticed a competitive light in these men’s eyes.

Her attention was not drawn to them, though. Near them was a towering figure so tall he must have stood over 7 feet. It was a male elf who loomed over everyone present, though despite clearly bearing traits that marked him as an Elf, he was far different in appearance from any Wood Elf she had seen.

With smooth pale white skin, refined features, and a face that, though incredibly beautiful, appeared remarkably sharp and angular with a strong jawline and long flowing blond hair tied neatly in a sophisticated braid, his eyes met hers. They were a stunning gold, pulsing with power and energy as his eyes seemed to flicker like burning flames.

At that moment, Sylvie knew that this was the High Elf. When his eyes met hers, he smiled, his teeth gleaming like a ravenous shark. Two sharp canines were revealed as he stared at her with an imperceptible look.

Near the High Elf, she saw another surprise. Next to him was a child not much older than her. Bearing features similar to the High Elf, he was a young boy with a proud expression, his chin raised as if he were above everyone present.

Their arrival seemed to signify something, as one of the assessors, a Wood Elf with dark bronze skin and auburn hair tied into a bun, came forward and said, “Ah, so this must be Journeyman Haryk with his mentee Sylvie. I am Adept Arun and will be the Head Assessor for your assessment today.”

Haryk smiled warmly, and he and Arun folded their hands in greeting before Haryk said, “Well met, Adept Arun. Due to her being young, I brought my mentee's mother to accompany her to the assessment. Will this be an issue?”

Arun’s eyes briefly widened before he regained composure very swiftly. He said, “That is acceptable, as long as she remains in the spectator area like everybody else. However, I must add that your mentee seems young. I have not seen such a young Wood Elf perspective alchemist who is not a Browman in a long time. May I ask what age Sylvie is here?”

Her Mother, Mryna, took that as an opportunity to answer, “She is nine, Adept Arun.”

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Arun lost his composure for a moment as he said, “Nine? And you're confident enough to put her up for an Apprentice alchemist assessment. I must say, Journeyman Haryk, either you have a genuine prodigy superior to any Wood Elf we have seen, or you have done the young girl a disservice.”

The other senior alchemists in the background seemed to agree with such sentiment. Some even looked at Haryk outright with doubt and disdain.

“Adept Arun, I am not the type of Elf to do such a foolish thing. I do not hold myself above the Browman; I have found an outstanding student.” Haryk said assertively, firmly holding eye contact with Arun.

“I hope your confidence is not misguided, Journeyman Haryk. Many young alchemists' confidence has been destroyed by those who believe they can cultivate a better talent than House Browman.” Arun said before turning and walking towards the centre of the room.

Sylvie remained calm as Arun left; she knew the best thing she could do was demonstrate her capabilities. The main issue was that many children had been pushed beyond their limits by alchemists aiming to better House Browman, which usually ended in disaster. Elves usually frowned upon fame-seeking behaviour like that as it was viewed as beneath them.

Sylvie found that most of those present seemed to agree that they did not consider a nine-year-old capable of passing the assessment.

The only others in the room who did not look at her that way were the High Elves; the tall man's eyes remained fixed on her the entire time as if he was appraising something valuable, whereas the boy stared at her like she was some rival, holding no sucy misconceptions of the thought that a nine year old couldn't be that capable.

At that time, Arun took his stand at the front and said, “Those here for your assessment, your materials should have been prepared beforehand. You have to brew five Apprentice-level potions. The five potions can be of your choice, though they must be at least of average quality. By my side are some Journeyman alchemists, who will be watching your brewing process throughout. You will use the materials you provided the day prior, which have been pre-checked by the guild; you are not to attempt to include other items on your person; any newly introduced items not included in those materials beforehand will be declared forfeit. You have a six-hour limit; you forfeit if you have not brewed five potions to a suitable standard beyond that time. Now, before we begin, any questions?”

Haryk registered her quickly the day before, and her materials were prepared a while ago.

Potion quality came in five levels, not including a failed potion that was a complete failure. The levels are Poor, Average, Good, High and Perfect. Sylvie can craft all five to a Good quality standard, and was close to achieving High quality.

Quality, or potion purity, is how much of the effectiveness and potential the alchemist has brought out of the materials utilised. A perfect quality potion means the alchemist has maximised that.

A few of those present asked Arun generic questions about the test, but only the young High Elf boy posed a complicated question, which had to involve her.

“Can I be next to her when I brew? I’d love to see a true alchemy prodigy at work.” The High Elf Boy's words appeared complimentary, yet hid evident frustration as he seemed irritated at her.

Arun seemed about to refuse until a glare from the looming High Elf man made him back down as he nodded, making the young High Elf boy have a haughty look.

Sylvie did not care about such complications anyway; she had grown up with Lanren for the past few years, and compared to him, the young High Elf was nothing.

That was how she found herself next to him as she prepared herself to brew her first potion.

Sylvie's five potions were Minor Healing Potion, Minor Cure Potion, Minor Cold Resistance Potion, Minor Poison Resistance Potion and Potion of Vigour.

The Minor Healing potion was below the standards of those Haryk sold her Father, yet they were beneficial for minor injuries and recovery.

Sylvie had learnt about the other potions as Haryk said they were valuable to the guardsmen of Falamel and would sell well, since each had its uses in the Great Forest as the temperatures would drop rapidly at night, with there also being many poisonous creatures about, the most infamous of which are the Giant Forest Spiders that had venom so deadly they could kill a grown Adult Elf if a drop of it got into their system.

Sylvie prepared her usual setup, and her mind was set on brewing the Minor Healing potion first.

Before she began, she was surprised that the young High Elf boy suddenly spoke, “My Mentor said you are interesting. I hope you don’t disappoint me. You Wood Elves have been nothing but a disappointment since I came here from home. The only thing worth anything here is those Druids, yet they abandoned you, haven’t they? Running from us, it’s only a matter of time…”

The boy was interrupted when a sudden glare from the tall High Elf silenced him as he shut his mouth.

Sylvie's only thought was, ‘What was that about?’

That was when Arun announced that their time had started. Putting her mind off the strange words from the young High Elf boy, Sylvie, she busied herself in the creation process, unwilling to be distracted until she passed the assessment. Maybe after that, she would trouble Haryk about the matter.