Maulnar did not look up at the two, but closed his book and put it aside, then got up before speaking to them. "Greetings friends. I see your intentions are pure and that your minds do not care for petty age-old feuds of which nobody remembers the cause. While it is saddening to say that this is remarkable, there is hope to spread your friendship and bring peace to both kinfolk." He turned towards his cauldron, then continued. "But first let's end this pointless battle, shall we?" Maulnar said, looking inside the cauldron to find his mixture being nearly done, only the last ingredient was missing. From his heap of many items, the old man retrieved a jar with Necrophage inside. The fruit had obviously been in there for a long time, it was ripe and oozing the acid for which it is so well-known.
"Make way, cover your ears and avert your eyes, this'll be quite the spectacle." The old man said, opening the jar. From it came a sizzling sound and the smell stung in the nose. Then he turned the jar around, dropping the acid fruit in the cauldron with a plop, then it sizzled again. Inside, the fruit was heatin up immensely as it was eating through the thick skin that had formed inside, in a few moments it'll reach the pressured mixture that hadn't frozen to a solid yet.
"Fire!" Maulnar yelled, laughing a little as he kicked the cauldron, causing it to topple over. The old man jumped to the ground and covered his head with his arms. The acid had reached the bottom of the cauldron, and exploded upon touch with a loud bang. The glowing-hot fruit shot out of the cauldron like a cannonball, followed by a trail of thick red smoke. It had grown thrice in size and was glowing hot, temporarily blinding anyone that looked directly at it. The ball of light flew over the heads of the soldier and like a falling star, it lit up the battlefield brighter than the sun ever could.
Then it exploded again, not nearly as loud as the first explosion, more like a squashed watermelon, covering the entire battlefield in a thick, red smoke, reaching all the way back from the forest to the king. It was so thick that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face, and it came with such speed that everyone could feel a force, as if a person actually pushed them back. On the plus side, the tea leaves gave the smog a sweet tea scent, but it impaired breathing for there was little air left to inhale.
Maulnar got up after his projectile shot out of the cauldron and watched the show. Wane and Anne, had they ignored and looked at the projectile anyway, would see a red cloud spread over the battlefield and hopefully, soldiers retreating from it. The cauldron was spewing some more of the red smog. It remained on the ground and spread evenly over the floor, covering nothing but their feet.
"Explosions. So much potential, both good and bad. One could take down entire armies, or assist in mines, clear lands and maybe even use for boats. I don't think it'll work for carriages, sadly, but we'll see what the future brings." He began to ramble, staring at the red cloud where the battle had been. "Ah, yes. You two. Would you be so kind as to help an old cat gather his belongings?" Raising his arm in their direction, he addressed them. Without waiting for a response, he knelt down and picked up his smaller cauldron and the bag of money. He lowered the cauldron in the bigger cauldron first, then threw the bag of coins inside, creating the metallic jingle of coins.
