ULTRAMagic Prelude

Chapter 4

Before the two eager explorers could set out again, Kresimira took a week to give the duo some tutoring. She wanted to check on her sister's skill level and help Blood-Wraith progress a little further with his alchemy. Her suspicions towards Dragoslava were correct in that her sister had been neglecting her Alchemy in favor of exploring. The fact that she was also looking into other forms of magic did not help either. This was typically a good thing, but there were concerns that this would skew Blood-Wraith's studies.

As Kresimira walked around the alchemical lab, she noticed Dragoslava making a fatal error in her notes. "Drago, dear, no. Do not add that much gunpowder to the barrel."

"Ah come on sis, what's the worst that could happen? The more the..."

She then took Dragoslava's quill and began making corrections. "Adding that much gunpowder to the transmutation will overpower the projectile and create a back blast that would do more harm than good."

"Sounds like it would clear the whole room. Lord knows I could have used that level of crowd control during that one trip to the Valley of Eons..."

"...It would also destroy the weapon. This would further force you into a down time, that you could not afford, to heal and repair" Kresimira replied sternly.

Dragoslava worked a kink out of her jaw and nodded. "Alright, fair enough."

"Teacher, can I have some help?" Blood-Wraith put in.

"Yes. What's the matter, Blood-Wraith?"

"So let's say I use my Pneuma to turn a rock into metal. Is that a fire transmutation? Or does it fall under Azoth?"

"Good question..." Kresimira then went to write on the chalkboard. "If you are working with the corporeal, it's fire. If it's incorporeal, it's Azoth. If you were to turn a fraction of your life force into a piece of metal, it is the aforementioned Azoth. Note that Pneuma and Azoth are one in the same, however."

"Well technically they are. They're not identical to each other..." Dragoslava put in.

"They come from the same source, hence the similarity I asserted. Also your ratios better be correct, little miss gunpowder" Kresimira chided. Dragoslava waved her hand dismissively, then went back to her notes.

Blood-Wraith gestured for his teacher to lean in. "Is she like this normally?" he whispered.

Kresimira giggled. "Only at school. She's always been a bit headstrong" she whispered back.

"Ahem, teacher? What kind of transmutation do you think was used on my body? It's been nagging me at the back of my mind ever since we started studying."

"Are you sure it was a transmutation?" Kresimira inquired.

Blood-Wraith thought back for a second. "Hum... yes, I think."

"Truthfully it depends on who did it and how. At first I'd say fire, but looking at you pushes me towards Azoth. Or it could be both. The 5th element is compatible with all other base elements. Also consider that all souls fall under fire. This change was most likely meant to enable you to perform magic easier. Ultimately we might just have to wait and see what happens with you" Kresimira concluded.

"Alright, I'm done!" Dragoslava announced as she got up to stretch. "And yes, I got the ratios right this time"

Kresimira looked through the notes. "Acceptable... but what is the practical application of a gun that fires... Explosion Death Cannon Blasts?"

"Stomping power, sister. Stomping power."

"I'm really starting to question you breaking off from the great hunt, sister..."