All in the Name of Progress (Open)

[Lydia]

The Western Isles were an unusual place. They were Western, yes, and Islands, too, but they were more of a mystery than anything else. Their inhabitants were as shady as their nondescript name, and the business that happened on the Isles stayed on the Isles. Or six feet under them, or at the bottom of the surrounding sea.

And that was where a young woman, little more than a girl, was trying science.

Science! The mysteries of the world, the amazing interactions that bordered on magic itself. She could summon up the power of the Nether, sure, but it was a wholly other thing to be able to toast one's dinner rolls over a damp rock. It was another to watch a liquid clear as water burn through metal as if it were no more sturdy than paper. And it was certainly a grand occurrence to be able to burn clumps of ore in a fire and watch the color of the flame change from red to blue to purple, even. Progress was amazing.

The budding scientist was working on developing a new tool - a healing draught that would alleviate poisons from the body. It was a simple anti-toxin, but Lydia sought to make more than a simple anti-toxin. She wished to make a universal anti-toxin. She had found rats, rats in abundance here on the Isles, and had been delivering poisons and combinations of antidotes for the better part of a year. The months had gone by, as she worked as a cook in a bar by day and ran experiments in the dilapidated home she had squatted in by night. She made time to practice her magic, but the love of her science rivaled even her dedication to the Elder Arts.

And so it was that she found herself leaving an apothecary's shop with a bag of vials and a pouch of powders, bouncing a small ball of Nether magic upon her palm and whistling what sounded like an even more dissonant rendition of Trauermusik.

[Lydia]

The unusually-perky wannabe Shaman continued her jolly stroll, bopping her little pet blob of darkness as she wound through alleys, past unconscious drunken bums, and over piles of what seemed to be fermenting sewage. Could sewage ferment? If it could, those were definitely museum-quality piles of it. The back streets, and, to be quite honest, the front streets of the Isles were almost without exception filled with excrement, refuse, and possibly dead bodies.

What a lovely place.

Crawling into her 'house' through the window (the door was locked shut and the bolt was rusted), the Pupil put up the board to block light from exiting or entering and lit a few candles. Dropping her materials on a three-legged table held up by a chunk of wood she'd found on the beach, Lydia collapsed onto an equally ragged chair and pulled a loaf of bread and a filet of cooked fish out of the bag. Dinner time.

The meal went rather quickly, perhaps because through most of it the girl was reading up on different poisons and how to cure them. The book was one of the few things she'd ever stolen, but she figured that the man she swiped it from wouldn't be needing it much anymore, what with the blue face and tongue out of his mouth and all that jazz. It was pretty interesting stuff, and it even came with annotations! Her tutor back at home would be proud of whoever took such careful notes.

Throwing the book aside and setting aside the last crust of bread, Lydia stood up, took out a few vials, and carefully poured powder into a bowl, adding a bit of water. Some bread crumbs were the last ingredient, and then Lydia set the dish aside.

She repeated the process with another powder, but this time added others from a drawer of vials that she had labeled with alphanumeric code, and then went over to the corner, where a rusted cage full of large and lazy rats was sitting. Opening the enclosure and removing one of the rodents, she tossed it into another cage and set the dish of poisoned food in front of it. The animal gorged itself, and then Lydia swapped the dishes. Again the animal ate, but then nothing much happened. Lydia's face lit up with a smile, and she almost cheered, until the rat flopped onto its side.

"Damn it."

[Azia]

A tip was sent her way as another clue opened up in the case of the missing Caravan. The girl in cloth and leather didn't feel too excited although, as the word around the last Inn she was in directed her back to the Western Isles. You could see on her irked face that she didn't want to pursue into these dreaded parts. But, these parts were home and the time she spent at sea did not have he forget about the Isle.

Yet, as she rummaged through town in a swift manner, she noticed that the layer of it's mood wasn't really there anymore. It was expected, but it still press a chill on her back. It had the usual drunks and beggars, but the environment just seemed to museless of one she couldn't explain. Either way, she kept a keen eye for the unexpected.

Her stomach started to rumble, which was bad timing. The sun was setting and the market vendors were boxing up. She realized she would have to tap into her rations. It's for the best either way, as long as she was in this coastal region she might as well stock up on next day. For now, she journeyed into the back alley and headed into an intersection within the area. It was extremely droll and smelly, but it was the safest place for the night. She saw an array of light glistening from the gnats it attracted. "Oh?" She raised the side of her lip and swayed her way near a barrel that was outside the window that casted the light. She then took off her journey bag and pulled out a loath a bread that was wrapped in a leather cloth.

While taking a bite, she noticed someone in the home. The person seemed young, but was... lacking in marrow. She seemed to be focused on doing something, something with rats. The random discovery may seem rude and a rather bad idea, but she couldn't help but to keep her gaze from examining the room. It seemed normal, except with the cages, vials, and other things. A house like this looked like something she read in a story book. Either way, she just kept staring as she silently chewed.

[Lydia]

There was a faint sound behind her, but Lydia paid it no mind, instead trying a different combination of powders. The result was distressingly similar. No matter what, she couldn't get an anti-toxin to counter both Revenant and Entombed venom. It was frustrating, to say the least. After a third experiment, with similarly negative results, she cursed quietly, then rose to dispose of the waste. So sweet spirits of nitre were useless, as was salt of boric acid. What about congealed bile of sea snake?

Sitting down once more, Lydia tested the mixture, adding in reagents in strict measures, keeping proportions closely monitored. Stirring, she fed her rat, and then watched it fall over, twitch, struggle to its feet, and continue to eat. Her eyes widened. Perhaps, just perhaps...

The rodent collapsed.

"Hm. Well, it has potential."

Moving to the window, she slid the wood barrier aside and hurled a mixture of powdery mush and dead rodents out into the street, leaping back when she saw a pair of eyes staring near the opening. She had barely missed dumping the waste on the stranger's head, but a part of her wished she had. Raising her arms, she chanted, summoning a large black ball of Nether magic. She held her face straight, not betraying the effort it took to maintain the simple spell, and spoke slowly.

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you want?"

Her body language made the ultimatum unmistakably clear: start talking, or I'll let this fly. The Pupil's eyes narrowed, and she tensed, preparing to strike.

[Azia]

Azia continued to chew carefully, not for stealth reasons but merely she just wanted to savor each bite. Observing the person and her activities, it was clear to Azia that she was doing some form of witchcraft. Yep witchcraft, the answer to all things weird. It was an eirie sight, but her ominous gaze was impulsively in this as if it was a play.

After combining various ingredients together the person in the home fed it to her pet. At least, she does it was a pet until it quickly tumbled over lifeless. The reacting reponse after confirmed in Azia's head that she was a witch.

Suddenly, 'witch' was on her way over to where Azia was! Without time to react, she watched as a mess of salvage materials was hoisted towards her. She could tell it was going to miss her, but she swayed out of the way anyways to avoid any poisonous gaseous substances. As a result, she plummeted on the murky dirt that surfaced the alley.

Flicking her eyes upwards, she then jerked her head to face the black spherical mana illuminating her like a mini-eclipse in this breezing night. It was frieghtening and what was more worrysome is the certainty in the glare of the beholder of such magic. She didn't want to end up like that rat, so she replied, "Uh, i'm Azia!" in a frantic tone. Her breathing grew more vibrant as she just remembered that witches can cast incantations from the slip of a name reveal, like an old pirate's tale told her. She wanted to cover her mouth as a reaction to that, but she didn't want to move in this current predicament. She cointuned by saying, "And I am just looking for somewhere to rest for the night." Not the best choice of words, but this was all happening to fast for her.

[Lydia]

The Pupil sent the ball of Nether magic hurtling off, where it dissipated in a soft hiss. Lydia looked down at the figure. A girl, about as old as she was. She didn't seem too dangerous, and she already had food. So clearly not a beggar.

"Fine."

The Pupil turned around and sat down at the table, kicking another chair out for the other girl. Scribbling in her notebook, Lydia spoke without looking anywhere in Azia's direction. She had to get this documented before she forgot it.

"Come in through the window. The door doesn't work, since it's rusted shut. Once you're in put the wood back in front of the window hole. I like to keep the drunks and the fools away. The nosy or observant ones are either too strong for me to fight off or don't give a damn what I'm doing, so I don't worry about them. The name's Lydia, and as you can see, I'm a scientist and a user of Elder Magic. I pride myself on my advances in the field of magical science, and now I'm working on poisons and antidotes."

Scribbling more down, Lydia finished the entry, closed the book, and tucked it away before beginning to clear up her chemicals from the table. Working efficiently, she continued her matter-of-fact talk, paying no attention to the other girl.

"Revenants and Entombed both have different toxins, which makes it kind of difficult to treat both at once. They're found together, so a common antitoxin would be helpful. That's what I'm trying to do. Oh, I already ate, so if you want sit and eat. Mind the table, it's wobbly. And don't lay your food down in any powdery residues, it might be poisonous. Ah, yeah, and don't piss the rats off. I hate it when they get all worked up. Makes it hard to work with them.

So what do you do? Obviously you have to get your food somehow, and I'll bet you have some way of protecting yourself, right?"

Lydia slumped in her chair, lazily eyeing the girl for the first time. Looked pretty ordinary to her. Nobody particularly awe-inspiring, that was for sure.

[Azia]

Azia nodded and stood off the ground and her mood grew calmer. It's not the first time she had nearly dodged a situation like this in a humiliating way and she knew it certainly will not be the last. She watched as the mysterious villager made her way back to her seat. Azia looked on the ground and noticed a half-eaten roll. Oh right, hers. Well, it wasn't fresh in the first place.

She stepped inside as offered and boarded up the window as it originally was before seating, elevating a smile while doing so. She called the remark on the 'nosy and observant', as it was exactly what Azia was doing. Yet it did puzzle her as the way the proclaimed 'magical scientist' would cunningly word it as if she wasn't referring to her. Speaking of which, she was somewhat lost when she explained what 'exactly' was going on prior to the intervention. She did know of the Tomes, but that was pretty much it when it came to magic-based classifications.

"Sounds blimey interesting!" She flicked her eyes to the quiver-shaped bag behind her. "Even though I don' know nothin' about magic. I guess that's why I got curious. Since the people I seen in my life who dabble into that field are usually... older?"

She noticed Lydia proceeded into a spree of multi-tasking. She admired the dedication, but she wonder if this was merely a norm for her. In fact, she had a lot of questions circling through her head. One particularly if Lydia was still listening.

Either way she would engaged to ask, as one respectfully should, "I'm guessing these toxins are not just normal ones you can find from a shady vendor." She softly chuckled, spectating her work. "It's good to see your end goal is to merely advance yourself."

As Lydia asked the question, Azia didn't what she would respond to open up with. It doesn't matter, she could tell Lydia would keep a museless expression regardless despite knowing her for a short time. "Well me, im just a plain girl tryin' to search for someone. It was supposed to be a simple search, but apparently I was wrong. In fact, I have been havin' a lot of bad luck lately, but the time i've been using the increase my skill in archery!"

She then pulled out her bag and gentle placed it onto the table, notice to her powder disperse everywhere. It revealed an assortment of materials and various fruit. It was customary to reveal everything she had, but her real intent was to cut up an apple. Once she did so with an arrowhead, she swayed back to Lydia. "Go and help yourself. These are rations, but i'll restock in the morning."

[Lydia]

The girl was barely able to speak, it seemed. No worries of her stealing data then, if she couldn't even read the labels. That made Lydia a bit more secure and comfortable - in fact, it looked like if push came to shove she had the clear advantage. Magic in this enclosed space would decimate the bow-user. It didn't look like she planned on starting anything funny, but you never knew.

"Age has nothing to do with your ability to use magic. All that matters is the raw aptitude inside you and the will you have to make that raw aptitude work for you. Both are necessary but not sufficient alone. You could try your hardest, but if no magic abilities rest within you, better luck lifting a building with your pinky finger than summoning even a tiny fireball. And if you have no will, all your innate power will rot and never come to light."

The pupil looked up, surprised.

"I'm guessing these toxins are not just normal ones you can find from a shady vendor. It's good to see your end goal is to merely advance yourself."

"But my goal isn't simply to advance myself. My end goal is to find a universal antitoxin, to illustrate to everyone the power of science! I will learn the secrets of this world and so divine not only power and wisdom, but also the courage that comes from such unity and harmony. A veritable tri-force of the mind, body, and spirit."

A plain girl looking for someone. What a generic story. Lydia suspected there was more, but if the other girl didn't want to share, that was her call. Archery skill by looking for someone? Probably a wannabe merc. Next the Pupil looked at the proffered apple. Cut with an arrowhead? Far from sanitary or convenient. The girl could've just asked Lydia for a blade, she carried a few at all times.

"Uh. Thanks."

She ate the chunk, thinking inwardly about exactly where this particular apple might have been, and then swallowed with a mindset of finality. Moving over to the corner of the room, she dug up a bottle and opened it on the table. She could be hospitable, at least.

"Here. I work as a tavern wench by day, so my kickback is food, ale, and a couple of coins. This is a Stout, a dark ale. I prefer them over the lighter beers myself."

Lydia took a long draught and settled back into her chair. She tossed her book of Elder magic onto the table and chuckled, looking at its earmarked and worn pages. There was a lot in there she didn't know.

[Azia]

Her eye shifted, somewhat rolling as her right cheek puffed a bit while she was chewing on a slice of the scattered fruit. Even though Azia was hit with a respectfully blunt explanation, she still felt irritated as it came off to her as mocking her inability to utilize spells. Regardless, it was prior to talent, which she fully understood and with talent comes with commitment. Magic was no exception to this.

Although she had to object to a point. "Well it's not as if one's innate ability is lost forever. Rune objects can bring the power right out." She said, revealing a warm smirk. She did recall a time when she asked about the magic sword in her master's salvaged treasure. She barely got the story on it unfortunately, so the ignorance on the subject obviously reflects on her wording.

She took another chunk of the apple, leaving the final piece to maybe rot. She chuckled listening in on Lydia. As admirable her pre-planned dreams were, right now they was just preaching ambitions at the moment. "Now your goal is sounded more adventurous! And yet... to achieve it I believe it may take some more... ya' know, physical adventure. Surveying the land for answers basically."

More items were tossed to the table on which Azia had examined, one was a bottle on which contained an ale that she had never tried. As the frantic cloaked woman continued share about herself, Azia kept her ear serene to her as a guest should. It was about her position as a wench to a local bar stool. Azia contemplated at nights to settle as one herself, but she had to keep moving to complete her quest and earn a peace of mind. "At least you get to pursue your dreams in comfort."

Azia admittedly felt a shed of guilt that this person was opening so much to her, but she had nothing that she chose to share at the moment. She did however reply, "My manner of income is me merely performing odd jobs, mainly ones that involve my set of skills. Luckily none recently has been morbid." She felt at unease uttering that last word, but no reaction to display as such.

She glanced back at the ale. She didn't know much about Stout, just looking in the bottle just gave her a mental image of an abyss. Regardless, she picked it up and took a sip of it. She casually slid a coin across the table as if it was a reflex, paying for her for a drink the wasn't requested for payment or even offered to her. It was a taste that was both creamy and dry at the same instance. It wasn't acquired at the moment, being used to Rum and Whiskey, but it tasted okay.

[Lydia]

Lydia chuckled, shaking her head at Azia's comment. Such a typical view of a weapon-slinger. Yes, yes, magical items could let people 'cast' magic, but not really.

"Not really. You see, magical - or 'rune' as laypeople call them, not really correctly even, as magical weapons do not require runes, but that's beside the point - weapons do not allow their user to control or cast magic. They simply harbor a manifestation of magical power that chooses to either help or hinder the user of the weapon. It's not a science, really. If you're lucky, a magical weapon will give you great power in battle. If you're unlucky, it will be the death of you."

See, that was the problem with guys and gals who thought they could simply hack and slash their way to success. Without an understanding of the power of magic, they would be destroyed before they could land a single swing. It required balance, precision, timing... Magic was truly a much more refined weapon.

"Now your goal is sounded more adventurous! And yet... to achieve it I believe it may take some more... ya' know, physical adventure. Surveying the land for answers basically."

Uh... good Gaea. Ignoring the fact that science required nothing more than her to sit here and think and dwell and discover, the grammar was just... horrendous. This girl sounded like some sort of street urchin.

"At least you get to pursue your dreams in comfort."

Lydia shook her head, sighing.

"Nah, there's really no comfort to be had here. I work hard during the day and sleep on the dirt at night. When I need to clean myself, I swim. There is no element of comfort. My science has yielded no truly fruitful results as of now. It is wholly a matter of faith that I will ever discover anything. But I will never give up, for the pursuit of science is my true passion!"

"My manner of income is me merely performing odd jobs, mainly ones that involve my set of skills. Luckily none recently has been morbid."

Now wait, what was the girl's skillset?

"Not trying to be a pain or anything, but what is your skill set? From what I can tell so far you're an archer, so you shoot arrows at things. Is that it, or do you have some sort of other talent? I don't know, like some sort of skill with explosives, or ability to sneak around, or really ridiculous strength? I personally have my Elder magic and my science, and that's about it. I do like monsters, though. They're quite fun to deal with and make good test subjects. I have learned a lot from melting monster heads."

[Lydia]

Lydia looked over at the archer, who had not responded to her question. The girl was fast asleep. Go figure. Rolling her eyes, Lydia went back to her experiments, toiling for a while longer before she finally became tired. She then commenced writing in her notebook, scribbling down an account of the day’s happenings and the results of the experiments she had conducted. The paragraph about Azia was quite brief, as she had little to say, but she did in fact do the girl the honor of recording her name for posterity in the notebook.

Rising, the Pupil slipped out through the window, carefully replaced the board covering, and began to wander the streets. It was dark, a murky, gloomy sort of dark, and the wraithlike girl fit in with the atmosphere as she wandered about. In one hand, she held a tome, and in the other, a dark ball of magical energy. She maintained it for half a minute before blowing out her breath, tired out by the exertion, and then walked onward. This continued for about an hour, as she thoroughly wore herself out, physically and magically.

Re-entering her residence, Lydia spread out the ragged blanket she kept on the floor and collapsed on it, using her cloak to cover her as she drifted off to sleep. Morning came soon, and the Pupil rose, taking note that Azia was still asleep on the chair. Shaking her head, she left the building for her job at the tavern. Hopefully the other girl would be gone by sundown.

[End Thread]