Submission (#554) Approved

In a forest clearing, the Head Alchemist, Rune, sat in silence, taking in the ambience. The night air was still, and crisp with the scent of fallen leaves. This season, they’d issued quite a few student Alchemists with an important assignment - crafting Spirit Soother potions in order to soothe the undead. But, would they be alright…?

“Excuse me. You called?”

A level voice rang out, shifting Rune’s attention to the arrival of a tall, greyish-white luminite. It was Galen, right on time as usual. Rune remembered him from the introductory class - He was the one who had extracted apple juice, and combined it with an Ember Essence to create… Ah, what was it again? Spicy apple juice? Rune stifled a laugh at the memory. Sure, it wasn’t anywhere close to making “spiced apple pie”, but the fact that it had worked at all, was worth celebrating. In time, perhaps the Academy would usher in a new age of questionably creative alchemists. Of that, they were sure.

“Yes, yes, that’s correct,” Rune replied at last, getting up and gesturing with a paw for Galen to follow them. “As I mentioned during the lecture, autumn is the season with a marked increase in ghostly activity, and with it, supernatural phenomena.”
“Which could spell trouble. So, that’s why we need to appease them,” Galen inquired, his question phrased more like a statement.
“Ahaha. I wouldn’t say ‘appease’ is the right word…” Rather, it was more like ‘calming the spirits down enough that their ectoplasm could be harvested, and used as components in alchemy’. But, when they had explained this to the previous year’s cohort, some of the students had gotten - upset - about the idea.

“Then, we’re harvesting them?” Galen tilted his head.
“...You could say that.” Rune was suddenly very interested in following the winding forest trail. Galen, confused, did his best to keep up. Above them, a near-inaudible Owllet glided past the duo: fwoo, fwooo…

And Galen stopped dead in his tracks.
Rune tilted their head, their usual expression unreadable.
“Hm… Is everything alright?”
Slowly, Galen shook his head. Maybe he, too, was afraid of the spooky forest. It would make sense…
“I… don’t like birds,” he muttered, lowering his hackles now that he could no longer hear the sound.
Ah, so that was it. Everyone has their reasons, Rune thought to themself.

“--At any rate,” Rune continued, “from here onwards, things will be quite difficult. Once we arrive, you have to be absolutely sure to follow all the instructions I’ve given you.”
“I understand,” Galen nodded, now back to his usual stoic expression.
Relieved, Rune gave an imperceptibly small smile.
“Ah, but I have a question.” Rune’s face went blank (although nobody could ever really tell). …Wait, what?
“…Yes, what is it?”
“I’d like to confirm something.”

Galen cast his mind back to the lectures. The spirits they were dealing with were formidable - if angered, that is. If they were treated rudely or carelessly, they would surely lash out, and inflict ailments upon the offending party. However, if they were approached with respect and a clear mind, then the risks were significantly reduced. They had the ability to help or hinder luminites, depending on how they were handled. In other words, it was in everyone’s best interests to be nice to them.

“…Is that correct?”
“Indeed.” Rune nodded, quietly glad that at least one of their students had been doing their homework. It was just as well - the graveyard was just up ahead.

Meanwhile, Galen had realised something. On a fundamental level, spirits were… very simple creatures. They were most active at night, drifting about, feeding on energy, and gradually increasing their numbers. It was remarkably similar to the simple life-forms Galen had once watched over, back when he was still a star in the sky. Albeit, these spirits were far larger. Still, if they were fundamentally similar, then…

“I believe I know what to do, now. May I?” With a final glance over at Rune, who nodded and stepped aside, Galen entered the graveyard. Almost immediately, the spirits, alerted by his presence, begin to drift towards him, curious. The young alchemist tilted his head in return. Then he offered a brief smile, as the moonlight shimmered across his fur, and glinted against his monocle.

“Greetings,” Galen said, slowly, deliberately. “I've come to study you.”

Reward	Amount
Spirit Soother Potion (RECIPE)	1
Mysterious Potion	1
QuBits	470