Alchemy 410 - say_yes2_heaven - Baldur's Gate (Video Games) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter Text

Illyth’s sharp footfalls echoed sharply against the stone floors of Blackstaff Academy. The young drow woman carried herself with pride: shoulders back, chin up, and a stoic expression on her face. Her eyes were bright and intense as she walked with purpose through the halls. Her alchemy lab class was starting in a matter of minutes. While alchemy was Illyth’s least favorite arcane art, the fourth year alchemy lab was the last class she needed to take before graduating in Mirtul.

Today was a day that would make or break her sanity for the rest of the term; it was lab partner assignment day. She prayed that fate would rule in her favor and get a competent, collaborative lab partner who showed up and did their work on time without prodding or pleading. Her odds of being paired with a lab partner whose capabilities were up to her standards were lower than she would have liked; a twenty percent chance.

Her odds were only ten percent if she excluded Gale Dekarios, who was brilliant but never showed up until lab practical days. He and Illyth were well-matched academically and if he bothered showing up half of the time, Illyth could conjure a begrudging respect for him. Yet, that arrogant bastard barely had to lift a finger while Illyth worked herself to the bone. For that, she loathed him.

Her pleas to Mystra went unanswered that day. On a piece of parchment detailing partner assignments, her fate was sealed in black ink:

Arabana, Illyth & Dekarios, Gale

“This has to be a f*cking joke,” Illyth muttered under her breath. “Unbelievable.”

As if on cue, Gale peered over Illyth’s shoulder, muttering as he read over the list of partner assignments. “Ah, excellent,” he remarked under his breath, his voice laden with sarcasm.

“Excellent, indeed,” Illyth sneered. There had to be some way to get out of this mess. Surely she could talk to the professor and get this all straightened out.

She snaked her way through the small crowd of students that had clustered behind her, making her way over to the professor, a stern half-orc alchemist, who was studying a scroll and muttering to themselves.

“Hi, Professor Gnurr,” Illyth cooed, giving the half-orc a charming smile.

The professor didn’t bother to look up at Illyth before raising a massive clawed hand. “All partner assignments are final,” they replied, keeping their eyes trained on the scroll.

“But —“

“All partner assignments are final, Miss Arabana,” the alchemist sighed tiredly. They turned away from Illyth, thereby signaling the end of any further negotiations.

Illyth set her jaw and stomped over to the lab bench where she and Gale were assigned to work. He was already leaning on the desk, languidly flipping through a dusty tome that he’d likely swiped from the off-limits section of the library.

“Kind of you to show up today, Gale,” Illyth said, spitting out the words as if they left a foul taste in her mouth.

“It’s your lucky day, is it not?” Gale replied dryly, not bothering to look at Illyth as he spoke.

Illyth scoffed and flipped Gale’s book shut, causing him to yelp in surprise.

“What is your problem, Illyth?” Gale asked, visibly exasperated.

“You’re my problem,” Illyth growled, narrowing her wine red eyes at Gale.

“Miss Arabana and Mr. Dekarios, if the two of you don’t settle down, you’re headed to the headmaster’s office to explain why you can’t get along,” Professor Gnurr snapped. Gale and Illyth shared a look of disgust, but said nothing more.

They cleared their throat before continuing to address the class. “Now, each group will receive an assigned potion for the month. You are to research it, collect its components, test it upon a homunculus for efficacy, adjust its preparation if needed, and present a tutorial for the class.”

“The goal of today’s lab will be to acquaint yourself with your assigned potion and draft a plan for synthesizing the potion.”

Professor Gnurr lumbered through the classroom, giving each pair of lab partners a small piece of parchment listing the potion, its components, and its specific parameters for brewing. Gale and Illyth were the last pair to receive their assignment: Draught of Mind-Reading

“So,” Gale began, looking up from the procedural document at his visibly annoyed lab partner. “What’s on your mind, Illyth?”

Illyth narrowed her eyes and sucked at her teeth, saying nothing at all to the obnoxious prodigy who stood beside her.

“Looks like we’ll need spawn vine, starborn flax, beholder eye stalks,” Illyth mumbled as she read over the ingredient list. Where in the hells are we going to find beholder eye stalks, she thought. “We’ll need a titration set-up with a buret and a flask, a burner, and a tester homunculus.”

She pursed her lips together before returning her attention to Gale, who was gazing out the window and toying aimlessly with a ball of purple light.

“Otiluke’s boots, are you even paying attention?” Illyth snapped. Her voice was growing more and more irritable as she struggled to contain her frustration with Gale’s lackadaisical demeanor.

“Hm?” he hummed, looking over his shoulder at her. “I have already reviewed the requirements of this option. I believe we can easily acquire the majority of the components from the botany supply lab.”

He paused, puckering his lips in thought. “The buret titration set-up is available, for I have my own. We will not need the lab space for that.”

So that’s how he gets out of going to class, Illyth reasoned. He does all of this in his dorm room. How in the hells does this guy manage to evade every rule around here and not get expelled? If it were me —

Illyth swallowed hard, trying to stifle her bitterness at this realization. Of course the male prodigy gets to do whatever he wants. A drow like me would be expelled for even considering it. Were we in Menzoberranzan, the situation would be far different.

But this wasn’t Menzoberranzan, No, this was the surface-dwellers’ world and she had to play by the surface-dwellers’ rules. Drow were still persona non grata, even if it wasn’t expressly stated. Illyth’s people were still regarded as untrustworthy and dangerous. Even a Seldarine like herself was subject to bigotry. As it turned out, a drow was a drow as far as any surface-dweller was concerned.

Gale interrupted Illyth’s train of thought. “The beholder eyestalks, on the other hand, may be more difficult to acquire.” He paused, stroking his chin. “They require significant effort to acquire, which makes them quite uncommon. Acquisition only occurs by means of slaying a beholder, which —“

“You mean they don’t grow on trees?” Illyth asked sarcastically, contorting her face into an expression of mock surprise. “I know how beholder eyestalks are collected.” If there was one thing that irritated Illyth more than Gale’s ability to coast academically with minimal effort, it was his compulsive need to explain familiar or elementary concepts to her.

“I do believe I have an acquaintance who may be able to assist with the acquisition of such an obscure specimen,” Gale continued, ignoring Illyth’s agitated response. “I shall contact them. In the meantime, we must visit the botany supply room.”

“Right,” Illyth sighed. The class period was almost over and she had no plans that afternoon. “Come on then. Let’s get this over with.”

“You sound overwhelmed with excitement, Miss Arabana,” Gale replied, his voice laden with sarcasm. “Why, it seems you can hardly contain your enthusiasm.”

Illyth scowled at her lab partner, who stood smirking at her. “I’m excited to be done with you for the day, if that’s what you mean.”

“Oh, come now, Illyth. Am I that repugnant?”

Illyth gave Gale a backwards glance as the two. Of them left the lab and began to walk towards the botany greenhouses. “I don’t think you want me to answer that question, Dekarios.”