The quest for knowledge is a never ending one. It has lead Tyler from world to world, through dusty libraries and decrepit catacombs in an endless journey to discover every last secret that the universe might hold. It is as much a curse, the knowledge of secrets, as it is a boon. As an obsession it had stolen years of his life. As a gift it had given back far more than he had been born with.

In his quest for the holy grail of alchemy, the philosopher's stone, his first secret that he learned was the elixir of life. One of them, anyway. It could add mere years, though not youth. That had been another secret, one hard earned. It would turn out that immortality would yet allude him, but he had learned one skill that he had become quite adept at.

"Howard, could you hand me the saltpeter?" Tyler was bent over his workbench, pouring over a book filled with his spidery scrawl. He'd been working on this recipe for over a week now and getting the forms right had thus proven impossible. Nothing was working like it should.

In the alembic before him was a murky greenish liquid. It should be yellow and once he adds heat it should clear. His last several attempts had ended in most disastrous results. He held his hand out expectantly and his "assistant" Howard handed him a small vial of white powder. The mannequin was dressed up in a butler's suit. Tyler hadn't required such formality of him, but in his new life as a construct he was every bit as finicky as he had been in his first.

"Thank you, old friend." He wasn't prone to sentimentality, but struck by a random memory he found himself smiling. "Do you remember that time with the twins?" He carefully measured the white powder into a small glass bowl on the scales. A weight on the other side already in place. The construct couldn't answer, so Tyler went on. "They were trying to get us piss drunk so their brothers could rob us blind." He laughed heartily. "Little did they know they were dealing with two apprentices who had taken alcohol inhibiting potions because we weren't supposed to be out drinking in the first place."

His laughter faded away unshared. Howard loved to tell that story. With a sigh he carefully transferred the saltpeter into the alembic and lit the burner underneath. He had embraced technology enough to outfit his laboratory with a few electrical upgrades.

Backing away from the counter he pulled his goggles hastily into place to watch. The liquid had in fact turned yellow and it did start to clear as it began to bubble. It never got to the point where it would steam and the condensation could drip down into the collection cup. He flinched when the whole thing exploded, sending shards of glass and boiling liquid everywhere. Some had hit him and started to eat through his leather apron which he ripped off and tossed aside. His buttoned shirt underneath was untouched.

"Howard, clean this up. I need to go back to the library." He turned on a heel and strode out of the work room.