Not quite through with her rounds, the alchemist needed to see two more people - the galdr advisor Nadia, and the arms head Johannes. She decided she'd see the former of them first.
Going off Bell's directions, Scarlett eventually happened upon a large pair of doors, embroidered with an intricate gold lining. To the side was a plaque that read: Nadia Whitsett - Galdr Advisor. As before, she knocked on the door. Almost immediately, she received a
"come in!~" prompting her to enter.
Upon entering the room, Scarlett quickly saw that the inside had the look of a regal study. There were a large number of bookcases lined with countless books, some of the shelves also carried numerous artifacts and testing items. Various laboratory equipment sat functioning on one side of the room, there was even a cauldron. The other side to the left was separated by a miniature staircase. On that side, there was a chalkboard lined with countless equations and alchemic symbols of varying meaning.
Scarlett would see a young woman dressed in fancy garb making notes; she seemed to be observing the effects of a glowing orb inside of a large glass cylinder. She looked back to see the new reaver, quickly putting down the book and going over to her.
"Why helllooo there, newbie. No down here for some instruction I take it?~ Not to worry! I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have!"She then adopted a creepy gleam in her eyes as she leaned in closer, her hands clasped together.
"Would you by chance like to learn about a new principle I'm gaining stage for?"Scarlett smiled warmly, before she said, "
Please, don't look at me like that, or I will have reciprocate and you won't like it."
Nadia blinked, snapping out of her stupor.
"Oh my, apologies. Sometimes I forget myself. Goodness. Look at me, I haven't even made a proper introduction." She made a polite bow.
"My name is Nadia Whitsett, as you've likely seen from the tag outside. I serve as a registered alchemist and invocation expert here at the Eon Tower.""So, how may I be of assistance to you, Miss...um, what's your name?" She said with a blank expression, scratching her cheek.
"
Scarlett. Ishval," was the answer given, staggered and measured, as if her own name was unnatural to her. Immediately, Scarlett sized up Nadia - Bellum had given her stomach pause, and now, she was actively more interested in taking in (figuratively and literally) the female forms within the Tower.
Nadia was definitely not in the same league of meal as Bellum, but more in line with Elaine. Plenty of breast meat and thigh meat - dark and white in equal measure. However, she was definitely thinking about Bellum's rump roast and flank steak.
Breaking free of her meal plans, Scarlett swallowed the gathering drool, and focused; after all, she did have a mission she was supposed to be gathering supplies and information for.
"
I've been introducing myself to my fellow Alchemist, as well as gaining advice on how best to tackle my mission in the marshlands, and gaining whatever aid can be spared," Scarlett says, professionally, "
On a tab, of course. I will pay out of my payment, once I am able."
"Oh, dealing with the Makara are we? Well, unfortunately, aquatic fauna aren't my specialty. I specialize in sciences that increase the power and efficiency of invocation through use of alchemy. So, if you're not also an invoker, I'm not sure how much that'll be of use to you." She said.
"Though, if some of your supposed teammates are, I might have some items that could be of use to them." Her eyes then lit up again.
"The process I just described is called Synergy, by the way~ Would you like to learn more about it?"Scarlett had planned for this occasion, and she needed to settle her lustful stomach, so the situation seemed as good as any to break out that meal she brought and break bread, as intended.
Besides, maybe, she'd glean something from this that could assist her in the future - not that she ever intended to take on Invocation.
Taking a seat, she would offer food and her ear.
Scarlett took a seat in the chair nearest to her, confirming her acquiescence to Nadia. The gleam in her eyes went from childish to flatly unsettling.
"Oh, thank you, but I ate not too long ago." She said, denying the offered food.
Scarlett may not have been fully prepared for what she just stepped into.
"So, you're curious are you?" Nadia mused, even though
she asked
her.
"Well, allow me the pleasure of introducing you into the wonderful world of Synergy!" As she introduced the topic, an out-of-place flash of sparkles suddenly shot out around her.
"But, 'Researcher Nadia,' I hear you ask, 'Isn't that just a term used to describe the act of producing a better result through the use of cooperation?' And you'd be correct. However, that's the term we're going with for right now since it's directly related to the new principle. Or at least until I come up with a better name..."Scarlett would extend her arm - literally - as flesh peeled away from muscle, as iron expanded from bone, and new structures replaced the old. As Nadia launched into a ramble, a bloody spine would poke her in the forehead from where Scarlett sat.
"
Please, focus," she says. "
I can't spend all day here. I have a mission to undertake."
Before Nadia could continue, she froze with an awkward smile as Scarlett's appendage poked her in the forehead.
"M-My... That's certainly some interesting alchemy you…have there." She said nervously.
Clumsily walking to the side, she cleared her throat and continued.
"As I was saying, my concept is strengthening the various effects of invocation through the use of alchemy. Normally, alchemy involves mainly affecting the Material World. And, of course, invocation involves using your mana to call forth phenomenon from the Spectral Realm. Polar opposites really. However, what if I told you there was a way for one to strengthen the other - using spirits and familiars to further manipulate matter and vice versa."As she explained, she pointed her index finger upwards. A dark orb began to materialize on the top of it, eventually forming into a miniature bat-like creature - likely a familiar.
"
How curious..." Scarlett says, as her construct was pulled back and her arm reformed.
"This bat creature is just your typical familiar, nothing special. It doesn't require any specific contract or item in order to summon it, so pretty much any invoker can access it without much difficulty." The creature cutely floated around Nadia, chirping gleefully.
"However, that also means that it's not very powerful, and its usefulness is therefore quite limited." The bat seemed to be hurt by her words, it slumped and sounded like it was weakly sniveling.
"Now, the stages of alchemy utilize mana in order to achieve an effect of change over forms of matter in the material world. The product doesn't necessarily have an effect over spiritual objects, however, the mana generated can. There's a phenomenon called spiritual alchemy, which harnesses invoked energy to strengthen alchemy, and this is related to that concept.""Such effects can imbue normal objects and elements with special properties that they normally wouldn't have. Like fire that freezes or an ethereal weapon that can cut but can't be cut through normal means." She drew an alchemic circle in the air around the familiar.
"Now, watch this!" As the circle glowed, the bat let out a cry as it was enveloped by a red light. What emerged was a serpentine creature covered in vermillion flames.
"Voilà! The familiar has taken on a new form and it has even been imbued with an element! But, that's not all!"Grabbing the serpent, it then shifted into a bright red rapier, which she then pointed at Scarlett. It was only inches away from her face.
"It even has the ability to shift into physical weapons! How did it achieve these effects, you ask? With Synergy, the mana generated through alchemy has been combined with the invoked servant, giving it a complete makeover!" She said, as the blade glowed with a red glimmer.
"I drew a glyph that normally summons a weapon of choice, which I overlayed with one that generates combustion. And finally, the energy allows one to reshape the familiar into another form of your choosing. Amazing no?" She said, with a proud smile on her face.
Scarlett didn't flinch - if anything, she looked disappointed.
"
Amazing, sure. Disrespectful, immensely," she says, "
To invoke the power of another, only to determine it unworthy, and force upon it change to meet an ideal with no consideration of the present potential."
"
Alchemists seek to convert the mundane into the marvelous, but all lives are inherently valuable."
Scarlett was clearly not impressed by the display, as she was more angered by what it displayed about her.
It defied the First Rule of Alchemy:
The Law of Equivalent Exchange.
Nadia had given the bat no choice in the matter, devalued its life, and discarded it in exchange for something with an ascribed value and, therefore, inequivalent.
"Eh?? Disrespectful?" Nadia uttered, appearing to be dumbfounded by Scarlett's response.
"I've heard many criticisms of my principle, but that's a first!" She held a hand to her glasses as she folded her arms, a look of disapproval on her face.
"It's not like I killed it or anything, it's more of an evolution than anything else! Evolution is just the natural course for beings, and isn't it normal to strive for self-improvement?" Nadia's irritation began to flare. Surprising, as up until this point she felt confident in taking pushback on her sciences in stride.
"Hmph. It's not like everyone has the ability to form contracts with high-level spirits with myriad abilities or the mana reserves to influence their surroundings in any meaningful way. With this method, it opens countless doors for all magus. It's a win-win!"Scarlett stood up, unfastening her cloak, as she did. "
Killed, no. You denied it its existence," she says, "
Its growth. Its evolution. Its improvement. Forcing it along yours path..."
Her cloak dropped to the chair, revealing her form in her small clothes - showing the extent of her scarring from her arm and chest across an almost animalistic chomp into her torso, the blood vessels that ran black against the paled skin with the content of iron that flowed through, and showed how her alchemy had destroyed her body.
"
Human Transmutation is the Study of Human Evolution, normality of self-improvement," Scarlett says, "
In my eyes, you tore that bat apart without concern for its value," her skin ripped, as her arm tore from fingers to shoulder, and iron constructed a large sphere where her hand had been that was speckled with spikes, "
Forced it to change and go beyond itself..." Iron bars broke free of her ribs, and created a system of gears and supporting anchors that would be hidden by her cloak, "
Evolved it."
Scarlett pointed the mace at Nadia, "
Like I evolved myself."
Nadia was left speechless for a few minutes after Scarlett revealed her "improvements" by removing her cloak. Her mouth hung open a bit as she adjusted her glasses.
"O-Oh my... I see you made quite a few "changes" to your physical body." She stuttered.
"By the Scions, I've never seen anything like it! The experiments you must've performed on yourself, some may even call you insane! I must admit, such dedication must be admired." She cleared her throat before continuing.
"But, surely then, you can understand what I'm trying to accomplish! You say you've expanded upon human evolution, but it hardly seems like natural progression if you turned yourself into an automation!""
I'm nowhere near," Scarlett says, "
But, ask yourself: what is beyond Human? To what end can we evolve?"
"
Stronger muscles? Stronger bones? How do we strengthen them," she asked, before answering, "
By adding meshes of metal. By casting bones of metal. By forcing the weak Human body to adapt and evolve to support the superior Automaton body."
Scarlett looked at Nadia, "
The natural evolution of our form is the one I forced upon myself."
"
Turning a bat into a snake is not evolution. It's cruelty."
"Your logic seems to stem from principles of the material world. I'll have you know spirits aren't bound by their visible forms alone. In fact, familiars changing form is actually quite common!" She said, leaning forward with her index finger pointing upwards.
"It's not as if the creature's original form was a bat in the first place. It took that form because I willed it to do so; spirits that are summoned with such low levels of mana often appear as just wisps of energy." She continued.
"Coupled with the fact that familiars serve their masters through any means, it really doesn't matter what form I choose to make it. physical and spectral evolution do not operate on the same principles."She then held the sword away from Scarlett, it glowed before it transformed back into its serpentine form. It then coiled around Nadia's arm in a gentle embrace. Rubbing its head on the invoker's cheek, it hissed like a purring kitten.
"Besides, he doesn't seem to mind. Familiars are always happy to please and serve their masters in any way possible." She said. Looking Scarlett up and down again, she began to relax as her irritation died down.
"Being able to reconstruct and augment your body in such a way, it's no doubt your alchemic knowledge must be exhaustive. However, it seems you don't have a solid grasp of the world of invocation, perhaps you could stand to learn a bit more about it before jumping to such conclusions."Scarlett bristled. "
That's a slippery slope; thinking on the same level as Divinity," she says, looking at Nadia and the snake with equal disdain.
She didn't see it as anything more than material - a middle piece of a vast puzzle.
It didn't even seem to register how she'd hurt the bat.
"
I don't need to learn anything about Invocation to understand how being called weak and limited in usefulness would make me feel," Scarlett says. "
But, you say, they are happy to please and eager to service... I wonder if you've ever asked them to be your experiment?"
"If being called weak or inadequate offends someone, there are things a person can change about themselves. The strength of a familiar depends mainly on the person who summoned it. Things like the type of contract made, the amount of mana used, and other external stimuli also factor in. In essence, some spirits depend on their summoners completely in order to grow stronger." She retorted.
"I'm helping reach new heights, which is the whole point of sorcery, wouldn't you agree? But, it seems you won't understand. I must say, I don't have people challenge the ethics of my studies. That's something I'd expect from the Church. But, I suppose it's mainly due in part because it's half based on a principle you don't practice. This discussion is going nowhere, so I think we'll end it here." Holding out her arm, the summoned spirit dissipated before them.
"Perhaps some of the other new additions to the Tower will have more appreciation for it. Was there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?" She said in a tired tone.
Scarlett tilted her head, and smirked, as her arm returned to normal, "
How sad."
Scarlett took her seat; blood staining the wood, as she moved the chair.
"
There was, but you've been more helpful than you know," she says, as she motioned to nothing. "
Speaking of weakness and inadequacy; challenges of ethics and principles; lack of understanding..." Scarlett closed her eyes, "
You've never had someone close in your territory, like that before, have you? An unexpected challenge from a familiar entity."
"
No. This is your territory, your domain, and, in here, you are," Scarlett says. "
This is your Marshland, and you are the Makara. The question is: have I intruded, or do you fear that I will?"
"
There is something I would like from you, though. The bat. For the duration of the mission."
Nadia adopted a puzzled look on her face at Scarlett's metaphors.
"Eh? I guess you're saying that you want to borrow the familiar I synergized? That's fine I suppose, but it's not a bay anymore though."She walked to a desk and opened a drawer, taking out a metal talisman. It was circular in design and was covered in elaborate markings, along with having a clear jewel in its center.
Using her index finger, she again summoned the fiery serpent. Chanting an incantation, the serpent began to be sucked into the jewel. After the spell completed, the jewel had matched the color of the summon, signifying that it was now contained inside.
"Here, hopefully you'll see how useful it can be during the mission." She said, handing the talisman over to the scarred alchemist.
"Now then, if we're done here I bid you good day."With that, the invoker continued to study the orb in the glass tube, jotting down anything noteworthy.
"
We'll see," Scarlett says, as she pocketed it, once she donned her cloak. "
For now, I'm off to see Childes. My last stop."
At this point, Scarlett had a strong enough sense of the layout that she felt she could find Childes on her own, if she followed the placards.
{You have no intention of using that, do you?}
"
None," Scarlett says. "
A weapon is only as useful as the application it's made for," she says, "
If I wanted a sword, I would have asked for a sword. I asked for a bat."
{I see...}
Scarlett followed the halls, until she would find the Tower's boozy metalworker.
