[Ta]king [Mo]men[ts]

[lysander]

It was dark deep in the secluded castle of Paradise. Everywhere was dark, as there were no sputtering torches to bring comfort to the depths, nor were there plentiful windows to bring in the sun. Large, dark stones, thicker than a grown man's girth, made up the walls of towering building, and towering it was. Pillars, columns, and spires jutted out from the central hub of the great architecture. Staircases twisted out of open windows in such strange curves that no sane human would dare to climb them. Stained glass windows of various contorted shapes decorated high walls, exuding strange symbols written into them artfully. Cogs and gears moved crane arms in random patterns, and rotated ceaselessly. Bridges rose and fell in predictable patterns, connecting one outcropping to another. Simply looking at it would identify no method to its madness. But there was a glimmer of hope.

Although the fortress's delirious aesthetic construction was easily without purpose, one could tell that underneath that exterior, there was a solid and actually somewhat traditional gothic stronghold. Even so, the dizzying height to which the tallest steeples reached was fearsome, and the dark rainy clouds that surrounded it, obscured the top. As it was, the entrance was nonexistent, muddled by the chaos of its surrounding parts. And yet, there was a strange something about Castle Paradise. It was located in the middle of a lagoon. No ordinary lagoon, mind you, as this one must have been miles across. But the waters were crystal clear and maybe only a few feet deep at most. It would only become rainy if someone approached the vicinity of the castle.

And surrounding these easygoing waters, where small fish lived small lives, was a low lying beach in a perfect circle. The fine grained, white sand was perfect for a game of beach volleyball, and it seemed that someone agreed. A volleyball net, a large umbrella, and two beach chairs could all be found huddled close together on one far end of the beach, next to a large gate set into the sand that faced the castle in the center of the water.

Yet, even though this castle was grim, there was something far more intimidating about this otherwise beautiful vacation spot. Sheer walls made of steel and exposed cables rose hundred of feet into the air. The enormity far outweighed the castle, and if it weren't for the very human amenities of the beach chairs, one might have thought this place truly was built for giants in it's great stature. Humbling in a respect.

Rusted over machines twitched and stalked through the shallow waters of the lagoon, searching for... something. And yet, one man paid attention to none of it. Brayley Paradise, locked deep within the confines of Castle Paradise, was busy at work writing up a magical rune in the air before him, made of glowing red markings. "Bring me... A glass." He murmured, blankly.

[Dante]

It was a fairly warm day, yet the breezes kept anyone from sweating. The sun was usually hidden by small, plump clouds that slowly drifted through the sky on their way to nothing. The sky was blue, as it always has been. This was a normal day with nothing more than a bit of school work to do. Even on a calm day like this, where the large seas of grass endlessly flowed with the wind, school was in progress. Well, if you count a long field trip, that is.

Travis walked through these waving fields with nothing more than a book in his hands, his advanced mind, and the clothes on his back. Travis wasn't really that different from people, so he didn't exactly make much of an impression when he met people. At age seventeen, the young acolyte stood at no more than five feet and six inches. As far as anyone could tell, he didn't have much muscle under his skin. This was because of his interest in knowledge; the interest in mastering alchemy! Unfortunately, this killed his social life, leaving him in an overly tight spot. He was what most people call a "nerd", for lack of a better term.

Unless he's asleep, you'll more than likely see his sizable book opened up with his eyes darting back and forth across the pages. He was more of a silent type, which is why he takes such a liking to books and studying. His friends consist of those he meets at the library and book clubs. Even then, he barely even speaks to them. He’s not socially challenged, he’s just very preserved. Anyways, the teen was making his way across the field, which was gargantuan in size, by the way. Not much else to say.

Except that Travis was thoroughly parched. His mouth was dry and he could taste something that was unwanted. Walking around in this field all day wasn’t as much fun as he thought it would be, nor was it much of a shortcut, as he was told by a merchant in the last town. They always were sneaky and suspicious, which is what amazed Travis when he saw this one with bright clothing and… breast. It was absolutely, downright unbelievable that a female could be someone like that. Every single one of those scum eaters were men, only because they were hit more by the depression than women, who were treated with just a smidge more care.

The only thing he needed was water, though. Without a further step, the young student flopped to the grassy field and opened his book. The book had some special things called “alchemic circles” that students of alchemy would use to quickly summon something when in dire need. This was why he had placed them in the blank pages of his book; it was the simplest way to find them. Let’s see – one for fire, one for light – ah-ha! Water! Without hesitation, Travis focused his energy into a glass of cool, refreshing water. It would only be a matter of time until – Crapcakes.

What would’ve been a successful summon turned out to be the worst mistake Travis ever made. Red streaks broke across the field from the alchemic circle in the book. They stretched out and soon surrounded the student of alchemy, sucking him into the circle. Oddly enough, the book came with him, which caused nothing more than a total flux. In that instant, those same red streaks appeared in a strange castle which was strangely positioned in the middle of a clear area of water.

”Guh… What the hell? I wasn’t trying to transport myself, you stupid circle.” The student said this to himself as he attempted to regain some form of vision. When he finally came to, he was surprised at the sight he was witnessing. Crap.

[lysander]

Brayley watched as the wormhole he'd created before him stretched and enlargened to the size of a person. Something had gone wrong. All he'd designed for was a glass, and now this. He layered one red rune atop of the other, and spoke a simple one word, command. "Go."[/color] Both the rune and wormhole disappeared out onto the beach near the lawn chairs and the strange, rusty gate. Brayley could not let an ounce of his time be wasted by the results of whatever mistake he'd made. There were so many things to learn and perfect, and if he'd gotten this teleportation rune wrong, then he had ten more to try out.

While he wrote out the script for his next teleportation Rune, a memory bothered him. A child's hand reaching up, drawing crude symbols onto a piece of paper. . . . He cast the rune. "Bring me three roses, one at a time."[/color], the apathetic voice echoed. . . A child's voice, shouting as it rushed down a hallway. "Papa! Papa! I bet I can make a flower for momma's birthday with this! Do you think she'd like it?" he cried, waving a sheet of paper with pencil marks all over it. . . . A wormhole, much like the one that had dragged Travis through appeared above Brayley's outstretched hand to deposit a single rose into it. . . A child's eyes gleamed with anticipating as he clapped his hands together, having just made the finishing touches on his crude magical runes. "Okay, Papa, here I go. Watch me close... Piece of paper, turn into a pretty flower!" Red lines sparked out from the paper, arcing across the air in strange, angry ways before the piece of paper crumpled itself up and threw itself right at the young boy's head. Apparently he'd done something wrong, and Magic had disapproved. . . . Two more roses fell into Brayley's and he clenched his fist. Unfeeling, pale blue eyes stared down at the roses in his hand. "Turn this leaf into fire." He mumbled, pressing the leaf in question against a rune tattooed to the palm of his hand. The leaf caught fire, and soon the rest of the roses were consumed. And then, in the stony darkness the fire lost a fuel source and died a miserable death.

*!*!*

The portal that had been abandoned, cast out, appeared on the beach near the beach chairs and the rusty gate. Upon inspection, the iron bars of the gate had been formed into their own rune in the center portion of the gate. Several of the machines would look up to notice Travis's arrival, but would otherwise do nothing. What would he do? Confronted by Castle Paradise, and the steel walls of technology overgrown that surrounded it, what options did the young man have? Castle Paradise was maybe within walking distance, but there was no apparent entrance around the base of it, and the nearest window was a climb up a sheer cliff face of some fifty feet. Who even knew if the window would lead into the building with the rest of the absurdity that went on? Maybe that very window led straight into a brick wall. One could never tell with these things. Best to take some time to breath, to gather[/size]

[Dante]

Just as quick as he had gotten there, Travis was sent away by some more red streaks. It wasn’t the first time this has happened, of course. The young acolyte had been in a pickle such as this a plethora of times, being transported out of a cave, a mysterious house and even a lake temple. He was quite fond of being sent away, actually. The magic used to transport him and the magic within him made the feeling… delightful. It became an addiction, but nothing like a drug user, or anything. He didn’t send himself to the bathroom just to feel the bliss that came from such a method of transportation.

Coming back to reality, it was pretty sunny, just like it had been in the field. The difference between here and there was that this was sand, surrounded by water. Little things spotted the area, like the huge freaking castle that he had just so kindly been escorted out of! Travis was irate at whomever, or whatever brought him here. His grade from this field trip was going to be severely marked by his lateness. He was here, though, so he might as well start writing in his journal, collect things, and look around for a way out.

The alchemist scanned the area for any signs of life other than him, but found nothing other than the castle and the chairs. It was like someone had lived here before the towering citadel was built. From this side, everything seemed a bit more peaceful, but who was he to say this? Without a moment’s notice, Travis made way for a chair, but brushed himself off beforehand. He sat down and flipped open his journal he had been carrying, clicked open his pen and began to jot down some information.

Journal Entry # 112
I’ve just been sent to a beach like area. I have no idea how I got here, or where I am for sure, but it shouldn’t be too long before I find out. There’s a castle here, but the only sign of movement is from the machines outside. There’s also a strange gate, some beach chairs and a beach umbrella. It looks as if someone was here before…

That’s all he needed to write for the moment. With a swift wrist movement, the book shut itself and was then tucked neatly into its respectful spot. ”Now what? There really isn’t much to do here. It’s just a sandy beach.” From where he stood, Travis inspected the castle, but found only one way in. There was a window placed in one of the highest areas on the castle wall. It was a shame that Travis didn’t feel like climbing up that high. He couldn’t anyways, even if he desired too.

He focused his gaze on something that looked interesting, something that had called him while arriving on this desolate beach. The gate was bent into a myriad shapes, forming what Travis suspected was a sort of symbol. It was hard to tell, though, since he didn’t really recognize it. Travis slowly shuffled forward, reaching a hand out to touch the strange figure. In a matter of three minutes, the tips of his fingers simply grazed a tip of one of the many marks on the metal. At that moment, he slid forward, almost as swiftly as a serpent, and pressed both hands on the metal contraption. The way this entire thing looked like now reminded him of the alchemic circles.

This might mean someone was here! Maybe they could help him off of this island thing. A memory flashed… It was something odd. ”Come on, sport! Just put your hands on it. It won’t hurt.” A circle was drawn onto the ground, obviously drawn by someone who wasn’t that artistic. A young boy, about six, sat in front of this scraggly symbol, hand shaking as they cautiously fell towards the circle.

Travis’s hands shot back, along with the rest of his body. The mental images shocked him a good amount. The small, frail appendages softly touched the earth. Immediately afterwards, a series of white bolts shot from the ring. The father seemed overjoyed, but it was all for naught, unfortunately. The only thing that had happened was a flashy light show. The ground was scorched, but nothing else happened. The smile turned into a frown and the parent stood up and turned away, shunning the small child.

Travis thought he had gotten rid of that memory. He locked it deep within his subconscious, didn’t he? It was hard to say at this point in time. It happened so long ago that he couldn’t even recall anything other than that memory just now. The acolyte shook it all off and quickly began plotting his next act. Obviously, there was only one thing a teenager like him could do at such a time; Yell for help. It was immature, yes, but very helpful. ”Hey! Is someone there!? Can you help me!?” Now was the time to play the waiting game.

[lysander]

Brayley stared at the charred out husks of the roses that he'd just set fire to, and blinked at them, trying to understand the reason his mind wasn't functioning correctly. Which was hard because his mind wasn't functioning correctly. He kept rewinding over the memory of his first transmutation rune, the easiest bit of rune magic to perform. He didn't remember the before or the after. But only the moment inside, writing the rune, casting the spell, and the humbling experience of an embarrassing failure. Brayley crouched low to the ground, and searched through mounds of paper, until he found a clean sheet, and pulled out a pencil. He placed the tip against the paper, and wondered again why his mind was so focused on that memory. Had it been that the memory had desired to come out, and so had orchestrated, essentially taken control of, his own failure? Or was the more traditional thought true? That this failure had marked a change.

Brayley honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd failed in the casting of a spell. He'd reduced all the elements down to a science, and was well experienced in all the procedures required of him. Sometimes he performed an experiment and the hypothesis was incorrect, but never did Brayley King Paradise truly fail. He explored a thought in his head, combining the memory of that night, with a series of ideas he'd been toying with lately. The thoughts flew from his mind, carving their way onto the paper with the assistance of a pencil he'd retrieved with a satchel that hung around his waist. He looked down at the strange series of runes he'd just drawn, in a circle like a regular transmutation rune, but. . . He'd broken it in several places. He'd explored it, made something new and unique, and different and impossible out of it. Something so beautifully strange that he rolled the charred roses into the piece of paper and stuffed it into his satchel.

~!~*~*~!~

Outside something happened that Travis may not have expected. As he pressed upon the gate, the doors initially would did not swing open, but they had been loosened. One red rune glowed in the center of the gate, and it swung open with a loud clang! A chain reaction was quick to follow. The gates opening activated yet another rune somewhere beneath the sand, and a spiral stair case curled out of the sand, drilling up into the sky, until it was some forty feet high, lifting the gate up with it. And when that was through, another rune had been activated, that extended a long bridge from the face of the castle to the spiral staircase on the beach. And the chain continued, activating cogs and pulleys that moved crane arms which would press one rune to another, activating a third, which went on to bring life to a fourth, and a fifty, and red dots lit up all around the castle where one could pick out the lights of the runes. But inside was a hub of vibrations and shakings and activity. Walls rearranged, and doors and windows formed where there were none. And all rooms had at least one of these glowing red runes inside.

~!~*~*~!~

Brayley was disturbed by the change in the castle, and generally by the changes that he had been forced to suffer through over the last twenty or so minutes. He had forgotten what his castle was capable of, and had declined to note that maybe one day, the inner workings that drove the fortress might spring forth. What could possibly have happened to interrupt his work in such a way. It wasn't as if he was on an unlimited time scale. "Oh no." was the sole response that hung in the air.

[Dante]

Travis had watched the entire shifting of the area with wide, interested eyes. These things worked almost exactly like an alchemic circle, yet they were so different! They even shined red, so that had to have meant some type of relation! The spectacle really was something to behold, what with all of the mechanisms churning and causing red dots to spread across the castle. It was as if someone had turned on a million hidden Christmas lights and decided to create an early holiday, which would break the whole equilibrium of reality, but whatever. It still looked way too cool.

When the flashy light show ended, the acolyte stared at the stairs for who knows how many minutes before actually doing something. That something was him going up and touching the stairs to see if they were real. They were, in fact, real stairs, but it seemed odd to him. Why, after being rudely banished from the castle, did the stairs now appear? It took awhile for the idea of him activating the rune to sink in, but it eventually did. This wasn’t something that had ever happened to Travis before, not like the transportation and what not. This is what had startled him at first.

The first few steps up the winding flight of steps were, oddly enough, invigorating. Going up stairs was one of his odd joys, much like him enjoying the transportation. While people griped and complained about their long trek up the staircases in school, Travis kept to himself and put on a smile. Up until the halfway mark did Travis actually feel any sort of regret. Why go up the stairs when you can just put yourself there in a matter of minutes? It was practically too late now, since he was almost to the top. Still, could he be any more dingy today?

As he climbed the last few steps, Travis could only feel tired. Yet, when he saw the magical gate, he felt a spark of ecstasy. It was such a magnificent piece of work that had similar workings to that of the circles! His instincts told him to quickly draw the symbol into his book, right under the newest entry.

[Continued]
I’ve just seen a work of art that couldn’t be matched by anything in Ro Cla. In this new area I’ve found a work of art similar to that of the alchemic circle. It works exactly the way the circle does, too! I’m sure, now, that someone is here. What else would use something like these symbols?

Travis replaced the book into his pack and searched around the gate. It was open, but one could never know if magic sealed an entry way until they feel into the trap. Carefully, the acolyte chanted a short phrase and called upon a small rock into the palm of his hand. This was a basic beginner’s alchemic spell, most commonly known as ‘Rock’. It was something that everyone used, even those who were known to be the most advanced in this science of transmutation. Most of these people used it to study alchemy right down to the bone, some used it for building, but Travis… He used it for throwing. The student reeled back and threw the pebble straight through the gate.

As far as he could tell, there was nothing to be feared. The rock went through the gate, showing no signs of a barrier. Travis, being the young individual he was, decided that it would be safe just to go through. It didn’t seem that anyone was home at the moment, so why not just take a break inside, right? It would be interesting to see what exactly was in this castle of gears and mechanisms. Still, all he really wanted to see was the creator of these special symbols. There were so many questions that he needed answers to and he simply couldn’t sit around. If he got an interview from the creator, it might just make up for the late mark he was going to get!

Without further hesitation, Travis stepped forward, walking at a brisk pace across the bridge. There was a doorway, a large one with a huge arch over it that was only a few meters away from where the acolyte was now. Travis kept his pace and soon came to the spiffy threshold, examining it closely to see if there was another rune. Unable to find one, the young student traveled deeper into the castle, coming upon a strange room full of paper. What made this room strange was that it was completely empty, save a table and chair which had those strange symbols etched into their very being. That papers that were strewn about covered the floor, leaving Travis no way to maneuver through them without stepping on about a thousand of the little buggers. These papers were each had a symbol on them, marked by something red.

Even the walls were covered in this strange graffiti. ”Hello? Anyone there?” After a few minutes of waiting for an answer, Travis continued through, stepping all over the documents to get through the next door. For such a flashy show leading towards this room, it came with rather poor rewards.

[lysander]

Magic, magic everywhere, and naught a spell to keep. Brayley grimaced as he waded through knee high scraps of paper. Because the higher up you got in the tower, the worse it got. The glowing red, reflected off of each sheet of paper, was eery in a way that made him uncomfortable as anything while he walked through the ruin he'd brought upon himself. More than one he tripped and fell into a stack of papers, and eventually he just got so fed up with it that he moved to the nearest wall, and painted red runes into it in a quick fashion. In the wall a hole appeared that didn't seem to go anywhere except down, and Brayley climbed inside.

And maybe someone else might have appreciated the slide that resulted. As he curled down through the walls of the mansion, his slide zipped and zagged, making sharp, yet still safe turns. At one point it shot out the side of the castle, one could look all over the lagoon as it a quarter way around the castle before shooting back into the side building and tubing down to the first floor. And in the same hallway that Travis found himself in a hole appeared in the far end of the wall. A few minutes later, like a ball from a cannon, Brayley was sent flying out at speeds of fourty miles per hour. He was literally a human projectile launched from the end of the slide, flying down the hallway on a crash course for the other. But he didn't have a look of fear. Just one of intent.

Travis would have to move fast if he didn't want to get smashed, because Brayley began writing a rune midair as soon as he exited the slide, and in less than a second a large fluffy substance was spawning at a rapid rate from the center of the rune. "Interloper!"[/color] He cried in irrational rage.[/size]

[Dante]

The handle to the door was in his reach, barely an inch away. Then, the unfortunate luck of this young acolyte decided to activate. From the side of the room, an opening sprung forth and revealed to him the insides of what shouldn’t have been there. Well, it was sort of melted away, the part of the building was. Anyways, it was creepier than all get out and Travis could only suspect that alchemy was the cause. It was a weird thing to happen with alchemy, though. Doing something to this scale was quite difficult, even for one of the veteran alchemists.

Could the one in this building actually be an expert at the science? If so, then there were even more questions to be answered. Those would have to wait, though, as the sound of clothing on stone could be heard echoing through the hole. A person, an old one, launched through the opening and left the student only a second to react. At that moment, Travis side dived towards the wall and laid himself flat against it, attempting to protect himself as much as possible. ”Interloper,” yelled the man in a tone that sounded quite irate.

”What!? I’m not an interloper! Blame this castle for being freaky!” True, Travis was intruding, but he wanted to speak with this man without any grudge between them.

[lysander]

Brayley grimaced as Travis managed to duck away, and he continued flying forward. But the fluffy white substance continued to expand from the center of his rune until it was wide enough to get stuck in the hallway, and he slammed right into it. Upon further examination one could discern that he had stopped his momentum with a giant marshmallow. Pulling himself out of the pillowy treat, and clapping his hands together, he looked around for the interloper. It was a mystery how the other had disappeared. Or had he disappeared? Maybe Travis was still around. Craning his neck further he saw the other pressed up against a wall. "What?" He said with a bit of a frustrated frown, crossing his arms over his chest.

Now that Brayley wasn't a bullet, it was much easier to observe what he looked like. His hair was yellowy-blonde but pale streaks of red and blue drifted in and out of it like smoke. His eyes were the same, yellow with moving freckles of red and blue; both emitted a pale yellow light. He clearly didn't look all that young. He was approaching his thirties, but wrinkles weren't the signs of age on his person. It was more a look in his eyes, and skin drawn tight over his bones. He was unhealthily skinny with long, crooked fingers that poked out the curtains of his baggy shirt sleeves. His eyelids were deep and black with lack of sleep, to the point of looking like makeup.

Then, without waiting for an answer, Brayley turned away from Travis, scrawling a rune over the giant marshmallow to clear up the hallway. It exploded into a pile of paper, and he started walking towards the entrance of the castle.

[Dante]

This strange man wasn't much for words. Out of both of the times he spoke to the alchemist, he only said one word. In a certain way, it was insulting to the student. It was as if he were speaking to his study friends, occasionaly letting loose a tid bit of information after reading their notes. Travis calmed down and slowly pushed himself off of the stone wall, keeping his eyes on the old bugger.

His long, lanky fingers were difficult to see, but Travis could see that those boney sticks were drawing something. To his surprise, the acolyte witnessed the soft substance turn into papers, fusing into the ocean of mess covering the floor. "Don't you have a cleaner method of disposing of those creations of your's?" Travis shuffled through the mass of useless paper and attempted to catch up with the man, wanting to get the information he needed for the trip. It was a wonder how quickly he could get through to the next door without tripping and suffocating under the waste, but the old man seemed to manage.

"Can I speak with you, sir? My name's Travis Sykes and I'd just like to interview you for my Alchemic Test," Travis spoke this in a huff of breath. It took all he had to get to the strange magic-wielder. If only Travis could set fire to all of these things, it would be so much easier to get through these things. Didn't he know how to use fire spells? I probably shouldn't do that. It would kill me and send this old bugger into a rage, most likely.

[lysander]

Brayley really wanted to turn around and yell at this boy, and lay down the law of the land to this alien who spoke of alchemy. He desired it so much that he could taste the feeling in a tingle in his extremities. Such an anger had never boiled into him since he'd saved this world, and drowned it in such emptiness that it could never fear destruction by the beasts-who-eat-hearts. But the automation that had taken over his muscles, pushed the anger back down into itself. Brayley simply didn't have the time to deal with space traveling boys. He couldn't take a single moment to indulge such emotions, as there was so much work to be done. This boy simply finding out how to enter his castle had set him back so very far. His schedule would have to be tightened.

And Brayley thought on it as he plodded through the main hall directly for the wide-open doors that led out to the Sunlit Circle. The last human place left in Isis Isle. What Schedule? He felt as if all this work he had been doing for so, so many years was supposed to culminate in some grandiose unveiling of his greatest prowess... But for the life of him, he didn't know what the end of it was. He just knew what was ahead of him. What work needed to be done. So when he reached the threshold between the safe, dry doorway and the rainy perimeter that surrounded the castle, he didn't stop.

But the words of the child drifted into his brain and melded with his thoughts as he cast his gaze round and about at whatever he could see. The strange, quirky robots shivered slightly and all looked up at Brayley. "Test.... You're in school?"[/color] There was a quizzical look on his face. It had been so long since he'd been in school. They'd essentially kicked him out when he got to famous and too smart. Nothing else that could be done to save a wretched genius.[/size]

[Dante]

Aha! Travis got this man's attention with his school speak. The young acolyte stepped out of the paper mass and into nice, sturdy floor. After that, it didn't take long for him to catch up to his target. A small smile formed across Travis's face as he brought out his big book of alchemic information. "Yes, sir. I'm a student of the Alchemic Academy of Ro Cla! I've been chosen as the school's representative for the Alchemic Field Tests!"

The book flipped open, tabs of blue and orange colors showing through the pages. Words were written in marker on the sticker tabs, ranging from phrases like 'Dissect this!', or 'Practice this spell!'. An estimate would bring the count to about one hundred and thirty. A pen clicked and the show began its trial stages. "This test is pretty arduous and passing this test would make things so much easier for our school to get more equipment and newer books. It could also mean better lunches."

"So, can I ask you a few questions? I'd enjoy some information on how your magic works."

[lysander]

Brayley's eyes focused on the book, freckles moving in and out of them like fireflies. The boy's words took second bat to the assembly of pages he held in his hands. It was an important moment for him, as he hadn't stopped to watch someone outside of his universe in the longest time. "A school book..."[/color] He mumbled, considering the implications of this boy's alien nature, and the information he brought forth from some far off place. A world confined into pages brought inside another world. What a thought. With a sudden jerk he snatched the book from the boy's hands and began flipping through pages, his eyes flitting back and forth.

It wasn't as if he was actually reading, more like he was jerking from one thought to another, one unrelated sentence to one unrelated sentence. Back and forth between pages, assembling a shivering tower of thought and information as he scanned the boy's book for what went from seconds to minutes. In the middle of his scan he sat down. And when he finally finished he slammed the book shut, and tossed it carelessly to his side, he began drawing a transmutation circle of some level of difficulty into the ground of the bridge. It wasn't something anyone who'd never heard of alchemy should have been able to do. Activating it, the statue of a man stood up out of brick of the bridge, while the surrounding matter caved in slightly. "Crude... Restrictive. Altogether unimpressive. But conservational in a fascinating manner. Hmm..."[/color] He seemed to have forgotten about Travis again.[/size]

[Dante]

W-wait! Did this guy seriously take his book? What was this guy thinking when he did that? This man had the nerve to take his book and now he was reading it? Travis watched as this strange, rude man flipped through the many pages of that large book. Was this man, who's eyes were darting across each page, really human?

More importantly, though, was he taking in any of the information he was reading in the book? He seemed to be skimming the most interesting parts, rather than reading the fine details of each procedure for every spell. Plomp went this magic-user's behind as it fell to the earth. Even then, he wasn't finished reading it. Only a few moments of this procedure and he shut the book, simply tossing it away as if it were nothing but a tinker toy.

The young acolyte dashed for the book, but missed it by that much. It fell on its hinge and flipped open to a random, blank page. It wasn't too important, but the fact that someone had the mind to do such a thing! It made Travis furious and, if he were in one of those old cartoons, steam would surely be coming out of his ears and nose. Turning his head to the man, the representative spat, in a fit of rage, "What do you think you're doing!? This isn't something you just throw around, you know!?"

No response from the guy who was drawing a transmutation circle on the ground. There was no way he could've known how to do something like that -- It was incredible, but weird. A statue rose from the ground nearby, one with fine details and an overall fascinating appearance. This guy had to have known about alchemy beforehand, right? He shouldn't have been able to do that thing just now! Then he had the nerve to ridicule the alchemic circle and the magic it used!? Something in Travis wanted to deck this bastard, but another side kept him from doing so, telling him to calmly think this through, like everything else he did.

"How... How did you do that just now? Did you learn everything from the book in that short amount of time?"

[lysander]

Learn... It made Brayley wonder... Had he ever learned anything? Well of course he had, or this bridge, and its castle, and its lagoon, and its world wouldn't exist. He had learned so much Runic magic that all of the skin beneath his strange robes was coated in runes, and precious skin above the robes (Upon his throat, and fingertips, and tongue) had them too. And he didn't doubt that he'd saved the world with his decisions to ruin it's beauty, because he'd never seen anything as beautiful. Or at least, he couldn't remember having done so. No, he didn't not doubt that he had accumulated knowledge. But he did question what this word, 'Learn' truly meant, after hearing it so much.

But he couldn't waste the time on this student, so when Travis had finished the question, Brayley simply nodded once. The smoke rings of pale red and blue drifted lazily through his hair. "For such a complex ruleset and strict nature, it's surprisingly straightforward. Matter for matter. What do you call this backwards science?"[/color] His voice rushed through the explanation as if he found it dull, but when he arrived to his question his tone decelerated, and Brayley hung upon the question mark, needing an answer to attach to the creation in his mind. He should have known, as the word Alchemy appeared in the book many times, but he'd never read that word. He was too busy building chaos and stringing it all together. And as Alchemy didn't factor into the equation he was looking to solve, it was a bit of information that'd been shoved off to the side.

Reaching into the simple, cloth satchel he pulled out a shard of a mirror and held it up to his face. He closed one eye, and began scribbling a tiny rune onto the surface. Rune-writing, a force of habit and a habit of force, had him constantly putting them everywhere, and it seemed, even in the middle of being occupied by some of the strangest circumstances anyone could hope to encounter, he couldn't deprioritize it. Vaguely, he noticed that since this person had shown up, his Rune per minute ratio had gone down, and it bothered him like an itch in the center of our back.[/size]