A Lizard mixed with What? [Rayage]

[Laudus]

Scorpio 12/3 Some people imagine the worst. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd day of Winter, 511 AV Laudus didn't quite understand the thoughts that were going through his head. After hundreds of years alive, he shouldn't let his thoughts loose so easily. Yet for some reason, he just couldn't think of anything good. So what if he failed his last alchemy experiment? It shouldn't lead to this. As Laudus walked along the hallway towards, his destination, he could only think one thing; what was waiting for him at Lab 45E? The nuit had never been to that lab since he had been in Sahova, and he didn't know what waited for him. He was merely told via letter that this day he would be working in that Lab. Not used to working anywhere but with his mentor, he expected that this must be a step-down. So he wasn't the best at alchemy. This didn't mean he should be sent to a different Lab where useless experiments took place. Of course Laudus didn't know what the lab owner, Rayage, actually did in his experiments. Laudus had only heard of this nuit, and never wondered about who he was. Now he was working with him! Laudus stroked the grey beard of his current body, and elderly man with blue eyes. He had just recently switched bodies since he was leaving Sahova soon, and he didn't know the next chance he had at switching bodies. So this body was only going through the beginning stages of the appearance changes. Finally Laudus came up to the door with Lab 45E written outside of it. What would await him? Who was Rayage and what was he like? Would this experiment jump-start his career in alchemy or ruin it until he died again? Reaching up with a frail hand, Laudus knocked twice on the door.

[Rayage]

Pacing around the lab the nuit thought and thought and thought and thought. Theories both simple and complex were racing though his mind. His robes trailed behind him, the nuit sporting his multicolored robes. The armored robes he had purchased were tucked safely away in the lab. The ones he was wearing right now were lighter and far more comfortable. He was walking back and forth, just beyond the alchemy circle which was laid with great detail and care upon the floor. One, two, three, four, five steps then he would pivot and turn one hundred and eighty degrees before walking five paces and pivoting again, doing this over and over walking in a small square like fashion.

In his hand was the unknown alchemy reagent which he had found in the mines within Sunberth. The half melted stone held great mysteries as he recalled the story of the Alchemist who created it. Why did the construct built around it melt when he removed the stone? That was the most puzzling thing. He was silently kicking himself for not taking more time making detailed mental notes. The place was collapsing however, he was lucky to have got out of there alive and with the stone no less. Rolling it over in his hand it resonated with an unknown power. What was in it? What made it so groundbreaking?

His thoughts, his silent meditation, were broken when he heard a faint sound on the door to his lab. Whoever it was would have to have rapped the iron door pretty hard, his lab door resembling more of one to a highly secure vault than a laboratory entrance. Going over to his desk he opened a small drawer and placed the unknown reagent into it before closing it and heading to the door. Pulling the lab door open, with some effort, the nuit opened it only far enough to let the other in, ”Welcome.” he greeted the other. He might have lived quite far too long, but he hadn’t forgotten common courtesies. What was this old man doing here?

Welcoming and letting the other in were two different things altogether. Taking in the features of the other nuit he nodded, ”You” he pointed at him, ”are the help that I sent for?” he asked holding the once pointed hand out for the letter sounding a little disappointed. He did not know this nuit, no, nothing was recognizable. Not body language, nor appearance, but that could change granted… He would not just let anyone in and he wanted proof that this other wasn’t a snooper, someone bent on stealing his research. It was important, and his collective knowledge of life and alchemy were far from extensive, but he has done some things that are worth stealing, don’t get him wrong. He was skilled. That is why he had Lab 45E entrusted to him by none other than Lector Qiao himself.

Once he verified that this nuit was indeed to be his assistant today he would step out of the way and let the other cross the entrance into Lab 45E. The lab itself was 45 levels underground, hence the 45 in the lab name, and it was quite the spacious lab too. Everything someone would ever need for alchemy experiments was there. There were tables adorned with flasks and fluids of all kind, chalkboards, some of which now housed some of Rays less secret work and formulas, and then there were recent additions to the room, multiple cages containing animals of all sorts, but most noticeable were H1-A, the lizard with fur instead of scales, and H2-1, the scaled dog. Within some others housed some bulls, the bars obviously thicker and the cages more well-built than the ones housing H1 and H2-A. Of course, in the lab there would be an Alchemy circle; this one had four chargers, two founts and two filters. The lab itself was well lit, and there was the constant smell of both animal and ink mixed together. On the farthest wall from the door sat Rays desk, stuffed to the brim with papers, some of the papers scattered to the floor, not picked up, and it even had some books there: old research from past alchemists who had owned Lab 45E.

Turning his back on the other nuit he walked into his lab, ”You will be assisting me with one of my more ambitious experiments.” he began, his voice already holding a tone of authority over the other, ”We will be crafting a bull-lizard for none other than Lector Qiao.” he told him, ”I trust that you have heard of him.” he said raising a dismissing hand as if to wave away anything the other Alchemist said or to shut him up. He continued ”The theory that we will be testing today is of the upmost simplicity, but for this experiment to be a success you will have to follow my instructions to the word. Do you understand?” he asked.

[Laudus]

Laudus stood there for a moment, swimming around in his negative thoughts, when the door to Lab 45E opened. It didn't swing all the way out, giving Laudus only enough space to squeeze through, but even that little opening was blocked by Rayage, who greeted him. But what appeared to be a warm greeting slowly turned to poison in his mind. The nuit pointed at him, and Laudus' non-working heart dropped inside of him. Why was he pointing at him so? Had he somehow been told the wrong lab, and he was about to be punished severly. But even after Rayage asked if he was the help he sent for, Laudus still wasn't fully relieved. But he nodded, and answered. "Yes, I am your help." Only when he answered did Rayage step out of his way and allow him into the lab. Laudus actually sighed, something he had never done in years, but stepped through the door without another word. Lab 45E was almost like any other lab he had worked in over the years, except along the walls were cages fulled with different normal animals. At least at first glance they seemed normal, but his second glance at those animals caught him off guard. In one cage there was a lizard with rabbit fur. And in a different cage, a scaled dog stared at him. Even the alchemy circle didn't catch his attention as Laudus stared at these animals. It wasn't until Rayage spoke again did Laudus break out of his trance with the nuit's next words. Turning to the nuit with surprise evident on his face, he asked, "A lizard mixed with what?" Laudus stopped talking, trying to calm himself for a moment. He didn't want to sound like an apprentice to this man, even if he probably still was in the eyes of many. But to this man, who probably didn't know him, he wished to appear an equal. Drawing his frail body up, he nodded his head. "I have heard of Lector Qiao." What would the head mage want with a bull-lizard? Of course, Laudus had many questions for this nuit, but he waved his hand at him as if he expected him to say something. But this was Rayage's lab, so he had to listen to him whether he wished to or not. And he really didn't say much more than to warn him to follow his instructions to the last period. Laudus nodded, agreeing to what Rayage said. He would try to do good in this experiment. Especially because he wished to learn what this theory actually was. And what is a petching bull-lizard?

[Rayage]

Glancing at the cages he nodded at the animals. This person was to help him with his experiment, but exactly how competent was he? A small trickle of doubt started to form in his opinion of the man for an unknown reason. If he were still a human he would have coughed or made some other noise, but instead he just looked at the locked up animals, admiring them. They were the keys to greatness. Every last one of them should not be underestimated. No, they all had the potential to be great. It is just a shame that on the way, his ascending to glory would be so… costly. Ha, he brushed that thought away and put it with the rest of the trash. What did he care about the animals? He only cared about the final result, the end product, the ultimatum, his creature and what he can do.

Turning to his newfound help he clasped his hands together, ”Now,” he began devising a little test for the man in his head, ”before we begin I must make sure Sahova sent me an Alchemist not an Animator.” he openly mocked both Sahova and Laudus with once sentence. Though it seemed that he cared very little for this, and that he felt unnaturally safe in the confines of his lab, ”Now, wizard,” even the way he said ‘wizard’ sounded like a mockery, ”You can use anything in this room besides the animals. Come up with a formula and test it. If you are successful, and your formula predicts the desired results I will let you have the opportunity to work with me on my own project and you will slowly, like I am, discover the naughty secrets that life possesses. However,” he held up a finger and smiled a condescending smile at the nuit before him, ”If you fail I would ask you to leave my lab and never return.” there would be a silence for a moment before he would add in another section to the agreement, ”Oh, and the best results are duplicable.” he told him, ”I will follow your formula, only what you write down, to get the final result. If I don’t achieve the same success that you have then you will also be asked to leave.”

He would let his challenge hang in the air. He was not just going to let someone he never met before just help him because Sahova sent him, ”Do we have a deal?” he asked, his eyes looking over the old mans body that the nuit decided to take. What a choice. Crossing his arms he made it clear that this ‘agreement’ was not open to negation.

[Laudus]

Doubt was something that everyone had. Laudus himself still doubted that this was not punishment for him for failing his last experiment. So the nuit couldn't say he was surprised when this Rayage was uncertain what to think of Laudus. But did he have to mock him so with his words? He was a wizard, if not the best in Sahova, but that didn't make Rayage anymore better of a person. An undead person, but a person none the less. And Rayage's doubt would be sated with a test of Laudus' ability in alchemy. He was to come up with an experiment of his own right then and there and test it. Failure meant kicked out of the lab. And not just if he failed, but if Rayage failed on the repeat of his experiment. So he could succeed with flying colors and Rayage mess it up, and he would be the one to be punished. Laudus almost wanted to protest, but Rayage's body language didn't really say the nuit was in the mood of arguing. Don't do it and leave. Fail and leave. He had no choice but to succeed. But what should he do for his experiment? He looked around the room, considering his options. He could use anything but the animals in the cages, which really didn't need to be said. Laudus had no idea what to do with those animals if he wished to use them, so there was no need to even tell him they were off-limits. And then he looked down at his hands. His fingernails and palms were still had a slight black tinge to them. Not from any transformation after changing bodies, but from his failed experiment from a few days before. He had done everything right up to the final stage, until he picked up the finished project. It fell through his hands like running water, leaving only stains to remind him of his failure. Well that and the lecture he got from his master. He had mentioned what he did wrong, so Laudus had an idea of what he could do today to do it right. But did Rayage have the matierals he needed? Laudus walked over to Rayage's desk, hoping the nuit didn't assume he was trying to steal any ideas. With his hands, he carefully moved any slips of parchment with notes already on it aside; he rather use a blank sheet than one Rayage had written his notes already. The desk was messy, with notes scattered all over the top, but eventually, Laudus found a blank sheet of paper. He then grabbed two ink vials, one full and one empty. If he was going to force me to prove myself, he might as well lose a few of his resources in the process. Laudus walked over to the ring in the room, a horizontal, two-fount, two filter ring. Careful to not step onto the D-Wire, Laudus set the sheet of paper into the center of the ring, and carried the full vial of ink over to one of holes where the founts went. Now I need the filter. Empty vial in hand, Laudus walked over to the barrel of water in the corner, trying to ignore Rayage's watching eye. Atleast, Laudus assumed the man was watching. Why would he make a test and then ignore it while it was performed? But Laudus didn't care if Rayage was watching like a hawk or scratching his petching arse; he was into the procedure and nothing would distract him. With his right hand, Laudus dipped the vial into the barrel, catching water in it. This was what Laudus had forgotten last time he had attempted the experiment; the paper earned the color of ink, but also retained its liquid quality. He wouldn't forget this time, as he walked back to the ring and putting the vial in the appropriate place. Now came the fun part. Laudus lifted his left hand up, focusing on his left index finger. The skin was smooth on this finger, but since beginning his training in alchemy, he had always used this finger as his charger. Just a habit he developed and never had broken. Not that he needed to. Up to his lips the finger went, and with a precise bite on the skin, the clear inchor began to appear. Not wanting to waste it, Laudus placed his finger on the meridian keystone, and began his process as the djed began to charge the ring. All alchemists had developed a kind of meditative state when in this stage of the experiment, and Laudus had his own. Long ago he had read in a book that a person could stand at the top of a snow-covered hill and sent a snowball the size of a walnut down the hillside. The snowball would pick up energy quickly, and eventually gain speed. Along the way it got bigger. And this was how Laudus did it, except his was thought process was slightly different. The ring didn't speed up quickly, so he didn't want his imaginary snowball growing in size faster than the ring's energy. So his snow ball had more. . . physically retarded qualities. It still grew, but for some reason it didn't know how to roll correctly, so it grew slower than normal snowballs. It didn't really matter as this all occured in his head, and helped the nuit concentrate as chimes went by. As long as he succeeded, Laudus would imagine retarded snowballs. Laudus didn't know how many chimes went by in the experiment, he never did. In reality the charge time wasn't that large as this was a simple experiment, and Laudus soon came upon the time where he needed to activate the ring. It was time to see if he would succeed or fail. Would he get to witness this experiment that Rayage had planned, or would his last memory be of the vault door to Lab 45E being shut behind him? Laudus directed the built-up djed to the center of the ring, and retracted his finger from the keystone. It was at this point that Laudus imagined fireworks going off, but in reality there were no theratics in the process. But in reality, he really just blinked and the changes had occured. Laudus turned to Rayage, with a simple question that would probably sound too simple. "Should I dip paper into water?" Yeah, the centuries old nuit asked if paper should get wet. He was a genius.

[Rayage]

”Should you dip it in water?’ he asked after watching the performance, arms crossed. That was the easiest transmutation he had seen done in… well, quite a while. ”What you dip in water is your own business nuit.” he said waving a hand dismissing the rather, to him, stupid question. The help they send him. He laughed at it, silently, but rather un-amused by the proceedings so far, ”But it seems you know the basics of Alchemy.” he commented, ”You didn’t mess up the transmutation and the product is sound.” he said looking at it, ”Congratulations, you are not a complete moron.”

With that he quickly swiped the black paper in his hand, walking out of the circle and to the bin with a bunch of other crumpled up papers, ”A waste of resources,” he sighed, going back on his promise to duplicate the experiment at hand. Duplication would not be needed for such an elementary endeavor. ”Unfortunately, we are rather pressed for time.” he said, ”So, I will just get to main premise of the experiment.”

He walked over to one of the cages containing H1-A, reaching a hand in he grabbed the squiggling lizard who then ran up his arm and perched on his shoulder, ”This,” he introduced the creature, ”Is H1-A.” he looked at the furry lizard, ”Homunculus 1- Animal.” he explained the abbreviation. ”Though, only a fool would call this a Homunculus.” he tried to explain, ”Although this is a product of Alchemy, it would be better called a Chimera: a mixture of two very distinct and different animals. H1-A is a mixture of rabbits and a lizard.”

”He is the first living hybrid Ive been able to create, and he proves my theories on life are indeed correct.” A hand reached up to pet the lizard on his head, ”In this experiment however, we will be crafting a bull-lizard. We will be using Alchemy to combine a lizard and a bull to make yet another hybrid. Ive tried this experiment in the past,” he said recalling his last few attempts, ” but none of them survived.” he stated, ”So, I inquired about getting help and they send me you.” the nuit almost laughed how fate seemed to plot against him and his success.

“The creation of H1-A was simple using the foundation of Alchemy, the fount and the filter chargers. The Lizard was restrained in the center of the circle with a touch a hypnotism and bunnies were used as the chargers. Living ones were put in the fount positions while dead and skinned ones were put into the filter.” he explained the basic set up of the equation lifting a finger looking at the nuit, ”Sometimes simplicity is genius. Remember that.” he told him, ”Now. It seems you have passed the test, tell me…” he paused, ”What do you see when you picture a bull-lizard?” he asked.