(Two days later, Twin Fang Planet, Poisoner's Union, Internal Lab Chambers)
"How long has it been soaking?"
"Two hours exactly."
Eric adjusted his gloves with deliberate precision as he watched the lab rat twitch slightly in the glass enclosure, its movements growing sluggish, its breathing shallower.
Across from him, Master Ralvar leaned over a table cluttered with notes, jars, mana reagents, and a steaming beaker marked with Leo's submitted formula.
The test chamber was sealed. Ventilation units hummed overhead, and three insect cages had already been set aside— each one filled with collapsed bodies of beetles and flies that had stopped moving twenty minutes ago.
"Still no signs of visible reaction?"
"None. No smell. No color. No taste. We mixed it with mashed fruit paste and every subject consumed it fully."
