• Graded • Volatile Concoctions

[Doran]

Saun 20, Arc 717

Those that followed the Immortal of Hope called him a traitor because of what he had done, but Doran had never been Xiur’s man. He had been loyal to Syroa from the trial that she had marked him and wielded his blade in her name. Some of them had also taken to calling him a coward due to the nature of his attack on their master and because he had decided to travel to Etzos. If taking advantage of somebody’s weakness and seeking out those that shared your goals was cowardice, the Mortalborn thought somewhat indifferently, then so be it.

Vuda had granted him the means to grow stronger and hone his skills so that he would be able to finish what he had started in the frozen wasteland of Oscillus one trial. The so called Chief Adviser had given him access to a well-equipped laboratory as well as mentioned the names of a few people that would be able to supply him with the reagents that he needed for his work. Etzos, it seemed, attracted all kinds of interesting individuals.

The Mortalborn had made the acquaintance of an orphan boy who was quite good at carrying out menial tasks the season before, but he did not trust Finn with business of a more delicate nature. For that reason he had decided to leave his quarters in the Tower that morning and go for a little walk. Xiur seemed to have temporarily stopped his laughable attempts to get the people of Etzos to change their mind and surrender him, and thus he considered it to be safe to venture out a little further than he usually did.

His destination was a place called “The Gardener’s Grace”, an alchemy shop that was located right outside the city walls. He had heard that its proprietor had been a professor in the Etzori Academy before he had been dismissed, and that he was able to procure things that one could normally only read about in books. He was looking forward to getting his hands on a few rare substances as well as a bit of scholarly discourse. He had to admit, he occasionally missed the conversations with his colleagues at Rynmere University.

Since he wanted to actually get something done that trial and not be stopped by adoring fans and the occasional hater every couple of meters, he was not dressed in his customary dark suit that trial, but a slightly simpler and sturdier outfit, although he carried his sword with him, as always, just in case. It was hot, as it always was in Saun, but he didn’t mind the heat nearly as much as he had thought that he would. It felt good to be able to breathe fresh air and move rather than sitting in an underground laboratory.

Ah, there it was! The Mortalborn checked if it was indeed the correct building before he pushed the door open and entered. His eyes widened slightly as he took in his surroundings. There were few things that managed to impress him these trials – he had seen too much in the nearly four hundred arcs that he had been alive - but Professor Gardener’s shop definitely did. It was big, bigger than he had thought, and it seemed to be quite well stocked.

And there was the professor himself! He studied the mortal for a moment before he inclined his head in a greeting and informed him that he just wanted to take a look at the things on his shelves for now and see what he had for sale, but that he would probably want to talk to him later on.

[Noth]

It was a particularly strange trial when the hybrid decided that the best way to solve an issue was through legitimate business. Admittedly, there were some with whom he had conversed who would consider the string of robberies and violent crimes he committed, and the looting of dead corpses to be legitimate business, but in this case, he needed to discuss matters with someone who wasn’t a filthy criminal; or at the very least one who wasn’t inclined towards the sorts of crimes he oft performed.

The Avriel had long known of the strange powdered substance which sat separate from the stash of his personal goods, keeping strange company with the skull that he had already acknowledged was his own, albeit, clearly from a different time. Yet, despite his knowledge over the subject, there was far more that he didn’t know. He hadn’t a clue where the skull or the powder had come from, though he had a feeling that it had originated somewhere further back in his own cavern, there was an innate fearfulness that unconsciously unraveled itself into his form whenever he traveled into the darker caverns to view Marrow’s latest work, and he felt quite certain that the antagonizing fear was not because of the nature of the pale man’s abominable amalgamations. They were fearful in their own right, but this was a terror that was far more abnormal in its creation, it was an intense sensation of hopelessness that grasped upon his very soul with every agonizing step he took towards the crack which led towards the Underground of Etzos.

That was another thing that he didn’t quite remember actually discovering. He remembered knowing that there was a passageway in the back of his cavern, but he could not force himself to recall any memory of actually discovering the passageway, and had instead relied upon a sense of simply knowing it was there. Clearly, the logical conclusion was that something beyond his comprehension had occurred in the back of the cavern, and though his memory of the subject had been burned away, residual aspects of it still remained in his subconscious, alerting him to the presence of dangers beyond those visible to the eye, of atrocities far beyond the aspect of man or mortal.

He knew that the powder had been useful, but its purpose and ability was lost upon him. Clearly, it had some importance, or else he would not have taken the time to put it into the bag within which it now sat, but he was not nearly scholarly enough to determine its purpose, and its limited quantity made him fearful of wasting any of it in potentially disastrous experiments. Thankfully, the solution had been revealed to him in his most recent conversation with his underlings. Oxy had spoken about having to retrieve some manner of chemical concoction from a place known as “The Gardener’s Grace” for the sake of creating an explosive for the sake of the mining operation where he worked. Technically, any criminal activity he partook in was simply an off-job, though it seemed far more likely that he would leave his old line of work if he was offered a reasonable quantity of payment.

Noth had inquired as to the nature of the “Gardener’s Grace” and had been promptly informed that it was an alchemy store of some repute among the local Etzori businesses, and it seemed likely that any of the alchemically inclined individuals he had run across would receive a majority of their ingredients from its shelves. The twilight hybrid was certainly not of the same ilk as the scholarly and scientifically minded alchemists who roamed the land, but he was under the impression that they could be paid for their services the same as anyone else, especially for something as simple as identifying the nature of a substance.

The need to know what the purpose of the powder was; the burning sensation of curiosity that fought within him, was what had brought him to the store. The Prince had left a majority of his usual outfit at his home, assuming a more civilian nature to his visage as he donned a simple tunic and pants, though the adamantite mace which he carried around remained in his possession, strapped across his abdomen by a belt. He had quite rapidly glanced through the assorted aisles of the store, glancing between products as though the names they bore meant anything at all to him. It would not do for the wizened fellow who operated the store to know that he so desperately wanted to know the purpose of the alchemical substance which now loosely pattered against his back; held in place by a lone string there, because the proper business technique in such a scenario was to raise prices to a level that were almost certainly guaranteed to offend his subtle sensibilities.

There were a couple of other customers milling about the store, though none of them seemed quite ready to checkout, which meant that the professor was open for discussion.

“Excuse me.” He began in a gentle tone, assuming the role of a seeking customer, though it could probably be counted on one hand how many times the hybrid had deigned it necessary to actually purchase anything from someone in the last season.

“Yes?” The bearded man answered, his voice taking on a teacher’s tone as though he half-expected the questions that would follow. Perhaps he did, Alchemy was, after all, a not entirely well-known subject.

“I brought some strange powder with me today, and I was wondering if you could identify it for me?” He spoke sincerely, avoiding the usual deceptions which he wove into his conversations in order to manipulate others, and choosing instead that the route of honesty would work just as well for his goals.

The professor simply shrugged, his gaze glancing around his store to ensure that none of the other customers required anything, or that they expected him to be ready for their checkout, and promptly nodded his acceptance. The hybrid passed the pouch over to him, directing rather quickly that he only use as little of it as he could in case it was valuable. The professor simply grinned, apparently unconvinced that one of his patrons would actually bring in anything valuable, and instead seemed rather set that the powder was nothing more than a basic alchemical item, if even that.

The scientist began with a litmus strip, placing a few particles of the dust upon it in order to read what category of chemical it fell under, though, after several moments he glanced upwards with his eyebrow arched in an unspoken interrogation.

“Problem?”

“It’s completely neutral. It didn’t change at all.” He stated in response.

Noth simply nodded as though he understood at all what was happening before him, and waved his palm for the professor to continue his experiments. The fellow regained his composure immediately, and quickly reached for something under the desk. A few drops of accelerant later, and he glanced upwards once more with slightly more disbelief.

“The accelerant is gone.”

“Right… and?”

“I mean, the accelerant that I just added is completely gone. There’s no residue of it anywhere. I think your powder just ate it.”

“Ah. Yes, it does have a propensity to do that.” The hybrid spoke, nodding his acceptance of the fact whilst the professor struggled with some apparent disbelief. Moments later, another test was administered, though this one suffered the same fate, the chemicals being applied were either completely neutralized or else the tests being done stated that the powder itself was effectively non-existent. With a huff of genuine surprise and some frustration, the bearded man finally returned the powder bag back to its owner.

“I… can’t tell you what it is. It’s beyond my abilities.”

Well, this had been an utter waste of time. With a sigh, the hybrid retrieved his pouch, and began for the door, occasionally stopping to browse at the stranger looking reagents as he made his way to the door.

[Doran]

Within the first couple of bits the Mortalborn had already found a number of useful reagents some of which had been imported from as far away as Northern Idalos or the island of Scalvoris. There were also a few substances that had curative properties and that had likewise caught his interest. Before he had arrived in Etzos and before he had taught chemistry and alchemy in Rynmere he had worked as a doctor in the city of Ne’haer. Even though he had stopped accepting patients, he still maintained an interest in the medical field.

He had just taken a vial that was filled with a milky liquid – Golden Salamander acid - and was about to ask Professor Gardener how much it would cost when that creature entered the shop. He made a step back, as if he wanted to browse some more after all and watched him. The man – at least he assumed that the creature in front of him was male – was covered in feathers and had eyes that were the color of burning embers. He had met very few Avriel so far. In fact he had only met one in recent times, a female by the name of Nightshade who had been present during the mutant auction that had gone so horribly wrong.

Unlike Nightshade this one only had a single wing. The Mortalborn had expected somebody with such a deformity to hang his head in shame, but Noth moved with confidence, and what more, he carried a weapon made of some sort of rare metal, as if he were a warrrior, somebody of influence who had risen above his disability … or a fool that had no idea how much of a freak he truly was and that he’d never amount to more than that …

He listened to the conversation between Noth and Professor Gardener for a while, but eventually got slightly tired of it and continued to inspect the wares. As the alchemist admitted to being unable to identify whatever it was that the Avriel had brought with him, he abruptly turned around though, furrowing his brow slightly as he did so. This was highly unusual. He had not expected a man of Professor Gardener’s reputation to have such difficulties. He instantly put the vial that he was still holding in his hand back onto the shelf that he had taken it from and came closer. His curiosity had been piqued, and he wanted to find out more. The reagents would likely still be there in a break or two.

“I couldn’t help but overhear what you were talking about”, he admitted as he approached Noth. His voice was calm and a hint cool and he looked directly at the Avriel who he noticed was several inches shorter than him. “Allow me to take a look at your powder. I might be able to help. I’m a chemist of some skill and taught at Rynmere University once upon a time. I have some experience with unusual substances.”

[Noth]

Hobbies were an almost universal facet of society. Even the most uncivilized savages often found themselves committing time and energy towards a project that was not directly related to their actual line of work. The widespread desire by sapient beings to relax and relieve themselves of tension and stress was the primary reason for the relatively common nature of taverns and inns throughout the lands, and the reason why sporting events and entertaining sorts had managed to stake a foothold in a world otherwise consumed by the war.

Naturally, some hobbies were more useful than others. An expert Piol player was hardly going to be as useful as someone who spent all of their free time carving wooden tools. It was also rather common for those with similar hobbies to gather together in places where they might discuss their particular form of recreation or activity, which was why it wasn’t altogether surprising that someone had decided to interrupt Noth as he began his exit from the store. He mere steps away from shoving his way through the doorway when the voice caught his attention, and he cast a casual glance over his shoulder, expecting the fellow to inquire as to whether he knew the location of some strange oddity or chemical composition.

Instead, the man admitted to having overheard the hybrid’s conversation with the professor, and promptly offered his assistance in identifying the substance. The Avriel very nearly denied the offer, because it seemed unlikely that a mere hobbyist would be able to identify the substance where the esteemed professor had fallen short, but he bit down upon the words when the fellow stated that he had taught at Rynmere University, and quickly added that he had some experience in regards to ‘unusual substances’.

The hybrid had never actually heard much of the nature of Rynmere University, though the occasional conversation arose with a reference towards it. He did, however, understand that it was a fairly prestigious place; an inference made rather quickly given the place’s University status. Universities were places of learning and study, where scholars and entrepreneurs gathered to learn of assorted arts and trades so that they might better their station in life. If there was any sort of person who would be able to identify a particularly troublesome substance, it would be an alchemist of enough renown to have taught at such a place as the University.

Crimson eyes studied the man for several moments, attempting to discern his intention for helping the Avriel in his endeavors. He took little notice of the difference in height between them; physical differences as menial as those rarely determined anything of note about a person, though their build could reveal something about their physicality. Unfortunately, the outfit being worn by the fellow made it somewhat more difficult to determine his exact build, but Noth’s eyes settled upon the presence of a blade strapped upon his side. Swords were rather expensive in honesty, and it was unlikely that a person belonging to a lower class would bother to equip when as opposed to a simple knife or dagger, especially given that the skill needed to use a longer bladed instrument was far greater than a simpleton was likely to possess. That seemed to imply that the man was who he said he was, and not just some scheming swindler attempting to take advantage of those without knowledge for alchemical substances.

“Very well.” He spoke after his analysis of the man had come to completion, raising the bag of powder upwards to show that he possessed it.

“Where would you look at it? I trust that you have a laboratory of some manner?” He questioned, inferring that if the man was a seasoned alchemist and a teacher, he likely had some form of personal lab as opposed to a more public one, though Noth supposed that he could also have a lab which he was allowed to use in return for his service as a teacher.

“Wherever we do end up going… I’ll of course be coming along.” He gestured towards himself with his off-hand, smiling pleasantly to the fellow as if to welcome a challenge to that statement. “After all, if our dear professor there is unable to fulfill a proper examination of it, then it must have value of some manner, and… I would hate for it to become lost.” He emphasized the final word, making it rather clear that he did not believe it would be lost so much as taken by an enterprising person who stumbled upon his property and decided it would be more valuable for them to take it instead of actually examining it.

“But, if you can identify it, I would be willing to give you a portion of it. Assuming you’d want it anyway.” He tempered his demands with the potential of reward, and became acutely aware that he had this negotiation and manipulation down to a science.

He supposed that was his hobby.

[Doran]

Doran allowed the Avriel to study him. He didn’t move at all – he stood as still as a statue – but simply looked at him calmly. As Noth finished his analysis, he inclined his head a fraction. He wondered what kind of conclusion the Avriel had come to, if any, and if he had any idea that he was currently facing the son of an Immortal, a man that had attacked one of his father’s kind and lived to tell the tale. Probably not. Mortals such as him were often blind to what was really happening in the world around him.

“Of course I do“, he replied as Noth asked him if he had a laboratory. Vuda had given him a well-equipped laboratory that was located in the Tower – or rather directly under it – but he was not at all sure if taking a creature such as this one there would be a good idea. The Chief Adviser kept strange company sometimes, but the Avriel was stranger than most, besides he wanted to keep the existence of such a potentially powerful powder to himself for now. If he took Noth to his laboratory, Vuda would find out before long, he was sure of it. There were spyholes located everywhere in the walls that led up to his door.

“But it is located a fair distance from this place”, he said. That was not a lie. It would take them a while to reach the Tower from where they were at the moment. “Besides, it is not necessary for us to go there. I have everything that I need with me.” He had reached a point in his studies of chemistry where he didn’t have to conduct complex analyses that took several breaks anymore. Besides, the things that Professor Gardener had said had already given him an idea of what kind of substance he might be dealing with. The good professor, he thought, had completely missed the obvious.

“There is a tavern nearby, the Broken Blade. One of its rooms should be more than adequate.”

The Broken Blade was a strange place, from what he had seen so far. Its owner didn’t try to stop violence like most normal tavern owners would, she actually encouraged it. Most of the patrons seemed to be warriors of some sort, and bar fights were a regular occurrence, but that bothered Doran who had been marked by the Immortal of Fury little, although he was unlikely to ever lower himself to participating in one of those fights himself. He had better things to do than beat another man up over a bottle of cheap liquor.

“I have no need of such a thing”, he replied somewhat coolly as Noth spoke about his powder becoming lost. Doran had allied himself with a demoness, and he had killed people and not lost any sleep over it, but he was not a thief. “Your company as well as your assistance would be appreciated. If you would excuse me for a moment though …”

He took the vial of Golden Salamander acid that had caught his attention before Noth had come in. He would buy it after all. It would help him identify Noth’s powder, among other things.

“Of course I’m interested”, he replied as Noth offered him a portion of the powder. He had not expected the creature to be that generous, but of course it remained to be seen if he would keep his promise. With that thought in mind he gestured for Noth to come with him.

[Noth]

There was something mildly unsettling about the presence of the professor. From a completely outside perspective, he had performed the standard mannerisms and expressions befitting conversation with a stranger, or any other form of social contract for that matter. Nonetheless, there was an almost unpleasant aura about him that made the hybrid take far longer in observation than he had originally intended. It was a confidence that he seldom saw around him, especially when surrounded by the disease-ridden and licentious crowds of Etzos poor; who he had taken to dealing with quite often, much to his disdain. Maybe if he had been older than he appeared, then Noth might not have been quite as bothered by the confidence; the elderly typically had good reason to display it, but the man’s evident youth went in sharp contrast to that idea.

Nevertheless, he had acquiesced rather quickly to the idea of the man analyzing the powder for him so as to determine its natural qualities and abilities, and the fellow had answered that he did indeed possess a laboratory. The hybrid had never been inside of a proper laboratory, though he had a faint recollection of what one was meant to look like; filled with vials of strange liquids, and covered in assorted and exotic tools, as well as whatever specimen, living or not, which the experimentation was based upon.

Rather disappointingly, it seemed that the twilight hybrid would be unable to visit a laboratory that trial. The professor stated that the location of his lab was distant from the store, and that he would not require any of the materials from it in order to conduct his experiment. That struck Noth as somewhat odd, especially when the professor made it clear that he intended to rent the room of a local tavern. It seemed incredibly strange that the fellow believed he would be capable of identifying the substance without use of a proper lab, despite the fact that he had already heard first-hand that an esteemed professor had struggled in identifying it.

Nevertheless, even though the man was displaying rather odd behavior, the hybrid certainly didn’t want to jeopardize a potentially cheap; if not altogether free, experimentation of the powder, even if it didn’t altogether come to fruition in the manner that he had expected. Thus, he thrust his hand into his pocket, retrieved the odd-dozen silver and golden nels that he had remembered to place there in case he desired anything whilst on his journey, and promptly nodded his acceptance of the fellow’s terms, promptly allowing himself to be led to the Broken Blade whenever he had finished his shopping.

To say that the place was a rather rough establishment would have been an understatement. It wasn’t necessarily that it was filthy or messy in the usual sense, but rather that there were a plethora of people milling about, drinking and chatting, their bodies toned and bristling with muscle and tensing anytime someone dared step foot into the building. He stalked hastily over to the owner of the bar, taking note of the features of the woman before speaking, handily placing three silver nels upon the table.

“Good evening. We would like to rent one of your room for the next…” He cast a glance back at the professor, raising an eye in question.
“Three breaks.”

Arguably, it wasn’t uncommon for someone to try to rent a room at discounted price for a short period of time, though it was probably typically for a more lewd purpose than was intended by the pair. If Noth hadn’t appeared quite the way he did; in all of his standard hideously frightening visage, and if the professor didn’t appear to be almost the exact opposite in his calm and proper primness, then perhaps the woman might have denied them the room on principle.

As it stood, she denied them on cost instead, and the hybrid found himself having to dole out another trio of silver nels.

“Third room on the right.” She declared, directing the pair towards the rented space, and handing the hybrid a matching key which he promptly granted to the professor.

[Doran]

The Mortalborn did not talk a lot during their walk to the Broken Blade. He did not care for small talk – he considered such to be a waste of time – and neither was he particularly interested in sharing any details about himself beyond what was absolutely necessary. He did regularly look behind himself though, not because he was worried that the Avriel might try something – he doubted that the creature would pose a serious threat to his life – but to check if he was still following him or if he had changed his mind.

When they arrived at the inn, he opened the door and gestured for Noth to enter before he stepped inside. They probably made for a strange sight, a one-winged monstrosity covered in feathers and a relatively well put together man that was armed with a sword, but he did not care particularly about what others thought about him as long as they did not hinder his plans. He did briefly survey the place though before he went looking for the owner.

It seemed as if his one-winged companion had already found her, he observed. “Three breaks will be more than sufficient”, he agreed as Noth looked at him and accepted the key from him. The room was quite easy to find. Once Noth had stepped inside, he closed the door behind them and walked over to the single table that could be found in the room. He removed three different vials from his pack, the Golden Salamander Acid that he had just bought, an accelerant and a bit of resin that he usually used as a binder.

“I already have an idea of what we might be dealing with”, he spoke and turned to face Noth. “When Professor Gardener added the accelerant, it disappeared completely. I will be conducting a few tests to find out if the powder can make other substances disappear as well or if it was simply incompatible with this particular accelerant.” He took the vial with the accelerant and showed it to the Avriel.

“Some reagents negate each other without the use of a binder”, he explained. “For that reason I will first check if Professor Gardener simply made a beginner’s mistake. Afterwards I will see how the powder interacts with the acid and determine whether it’s basic or acidic in nature. I will also analyze its appearance, weight and smell which will hopefully confirm the theory I have formulated.”

With that he extended a gloved hand towards Noth, a sign that he was supposed to give him the powder now.

[Noth]

Noth did not think of himself as a foolish man. Admittedly, it seemed probable that most people never truly thought of themselves as such; stupidity was something suffered by others, not by oneself, after all. Nevertheless, he had been raised in a household where he was taught many things that others might have been deprived. From a young age, he had been taught by his adopted father how to read, and how to write, he had been taught the common language spoken by most of the known world, and had been instructed on a few choice phrases in his race’s native tongue of Lorien. He had learned to do basic mathematics, and had over the Arcs even picked up on how to converse conversationally in Ith’Ession.

On top of that, he was a fellow with plenty of knowledge in the field of tactics and strategy, though he had never been able to take hold of any of the treatises or scholarly reports written by famed generals and leaders. Yet, for all of that knowledge, the hybrid could do little more than nod in agreement as he stood before the professor. The man had made it clear by a nod of his head that the process of identifying the dust would take less than the three breaks he had requested, but beyond that, his conversation with him became something difficult to understand.

Noth understood the words for the most part, a reagent was a piece of something, or perhaps a chemical which made something up, and given the nature of the word accelerant, he was under the impression that those were responsible for speeding up the reaction. Still, he was not entirely aware of how they interacted with one another other than the guess that the accelerant would somehow speed up the reagent, and in turn the reagent would cause a reaction. There was mention of a binder, but Noth had very little idea as to what that particular terminology meant, and found himself simply continuing to nod along, unwilling to interrupt the professor’s work by asking him needless questions, though the curiosity in his eyes was probably evident should the fellow actually turn to gaze upon him.

He mentioned the possibility that the professor had simply made a novice mistake in the process of identifying the powder, and whilst it was always a possibility, it did seem rather unlikely that the skilled alchemist would have failed so wholly in the process. Thinking back on the failures of someone else was unlikely to make the current issue any easier, however, and so he thrust forward the powder into the gloved hand of the professor once it was requested, banishing the thought from his mind as he eagerly began to watch.

Not knowing how the process worked entirely probably took away some of the educational value of observing it, but Noth still decided that it would be better to watch the process and take away what little he could understand than to ignore it entirely in favor of staring at a wooden wall for the next two breaks. He nearly spoke to remind the scientist not to use all of the powder in his experiments, but then came to the quick conclusion that the man was already aware. After all, if he used all of the powder, then he would have none to be rewarded with, and he had already stated a desire to have some in reward for his services.

“You know, I never did receive your name, professor of Rynmere.” He questioned suddenly, the thought flickering into mind as he ran through their previous conversation. It would be good to know the name and contact information of such a man should he require his services in the future, after all.

[Doran]

“Thank you“, the Mortalborn spoke as Noth handed the powder to him. He set it aside for a moment to prepare his experiment and placed three empty glass vials as well as three thin wooden sticks on the table in front of him. Having that done, he poured Professor Gardener’s accelerant and the resin into the first vial and stirred the mixture using the first stick until it was completely smooth. Afterwards he added exactly the same amount of salamander acid to the second vial. The third vial though remained empty for the time being.

The hybrid had been worried unnecessarily. Doran didn’t use all of the powder. He was well aware of its potential value. In fact he only added a miniscule amount to the first vial, just a few grains, just enough to hopefully be able to notice a difference. As he had half expected – he had considered the likelihood that the professor had really made a mistake to be comparatively small, although his suspicions did of course need to be confirmed – the mixture simply disappeared, leaving only the powder on the bottom of the vial. He decided to test it with a litmus strip as well though in order to be completely sure.

He was just about to turn to the second vial when Noth asked him for his name. The question took him by surprise. For a moment he considered lying or simply refusing to answer. He was not sure if he wanted the creature to know more about him than was absolutely necessary, but then he came to the conclusion that there would be no harm in a little honesty in case he had access to other unusual and potentially useful things. He would have to make sure that any contact with him took place away from the Tower though.

“Doran”, he replied and briefly looked up to see how Noth would react to his revelation, if at all. Most citizens of Etzos had probably at least heard his name at this point and formed some sort of opinion about him, but a creature like Noth that likely existed on the fringes of society might not be aware of who he was and what he had done.

He gave Noth a few moments to say something if he wanted to, but eventually turned back to his vials. “I will use a different vial and a different stick for each step of my analysis to minimize the risk of contamination”, he informed the hybrid and added a few grains of powder to the acid. Just like before it simply disappeared. Furrowing his brow he turned to the last vial. This time he didn’t add any chemicals to the powder, but simply a few drops of water and then dipped a strip of litmus paper into the water.

“It seems to me”, he said. “That you have somehow gotten your hands on a powerful alchemical neutralizer. The binder had no effect on it and neither did the acid which is a potent alchemical reagent. It is of course possible that the effect will be reduced when you mix the powder with a masterfully crafted potion, but even so …” He stopped abruptly as something occurred to him. Never in his travels had he come across something like that. There were substances that neutralized certain other substances, but Noth’s powder seemed to be infinitely more versatile.

“How did you come by it?”

[Noth]

The twilight hybrid continued his observations of both the professor before him, and the experimentation process as the man before him took the powder, preparing a series of glass vials as well as wooden sticks. Noth assumed that the sticks would probably be used for stirring in the same manner that people sometimes stirred their drinks to ensure that they were properly blended before partaking of them, and the glass vials were quite clearly containers capable of holding the powder and any other chemical concoctions without removing proper vision from the professor. The first and second vials were filled with some of the alchemical reagents that the scientist had brought along with him, but Noth noted that the final vial was left otherwise untouched. Perhaps he only needed two?

It seemed that the fears the hybrid had that the professor would use too much of the powder for it to e usable in any other circumstance were unwarranted, because in truth he barely used any of it at all. There were several ounces of the strange powder; perhaps even a pound of it, though he had never properly weighed it, but it seemed unlikely that the professor in his wisdom had even taken a single ounce of the powder, choosing instead to simply add a few grains of the oddity to the vials. Crimson eyes watched with blatant curiosity as the powder was placed into the first vial, and the substance within seemingly vanished into the ether, gone away as though it had never existed, or else as if it were as mercurial and erratic as the wind. It would be a lie to say that his eyes did not arch in surprise at the sudden change, though he regained his composure moments later so as not to alert the professor to his true emotion on the subject.

For an instant, Noth wondered whether or not the professor had heard his question, or simply decided to disregard it in favor of performing his work, but then the vocalization came forth from the man’s throat, and he glanced upwards as if to examine him with the same eyes with which he had observed the vials only a bit or so prior. The name was one immediately familiar to him, because it was one which had been talked about with some awe by many throughout the city. The Avriel could not suppress the slight grin that crossed his face at the thought of holding a conversation with the Hero of Oscillus. It was true that he tried his hardest not to become too closely entrapped in the politics or the national prestige of the city; though he did recognize that eventually it would be required of him if he wanted to take it from the grip of Pahrn and his minions, but even he could appreciate the work of someone who had decided to knife an Immortal through the back, and despite the rather underhanded connotations behind the act, it was altogether not a terrible strategy to exploit.

The hybrid did not speak on the subject further, not wanting to bother the renowned professor too greatly with his speech, and recognizing also that they were both simply men of similar cause, nothing more, nothing less. Nevertheless, a scheme softly spoke itself into existence within his mind, and his blood-colored eyes found the third vial, analyzing it for a few moments for any discerning marks as to where it had come from, or from whence it been delivered. Rather frustratingly, he found nothing immediately telling of the vials, but that was not to say that they were not being provided by some unknown benefactor… or perhaps even a well-known one.

The professor identified the nature of the powder to him, stating that it was an alchemical neutralizer. Whilst Noth could not entirely comprehend what that meant, he did understand enough to realize that the powder was eliminating other substances, and preventing them from achieving their own chemical reactions.

“Ah. So that is its nature, to cause other things to become nothing in its presence? Do you know of what it is then?” The hybrid was neither prideful nor naïve enough to believe that he had the only sample of the powder in all of Idalos, and that meant that it had no doubt been named by someone else at some point. Having the name of his newest tool would be quite useful for doing any further research on it, and he did not doubt that the Hero was well-versed in such matters.

The twilight hybrid shifted the weight of his feet, feeling his talons dig slightly against the wooden paneling beneath as he responded to the professor’s question,
“In honesty, I know only that it came from a dark place underground, it came with a bag and…” He thought back to the first time he had opened the bag, the first time he had gazed upon his own skull sealed and wrapped in a nice package for him to unravel, and it made him visibly shudder, unconsciously tearing at the wood with his talons as he recalled it. “I am unsure whether I could truly retrieve more of it… but I am under the impression it is somewhat beyond the comprehension of mundane things. You mentioned a potion. Could this powder be distilled into something more solid?"