"Susie Gryphonbane?"

Emily Stormheart raised an eyebrow at the name, while Sergeant Muldoon switched his eyes onto the girl diviner.

"You know the wizard?" Muldoon asked.

"Yes," Emily nodded.

The violet-haired diviner crossed her arms, with thumb and finger curled around her chin in thought.

"And you say that her brother, Artur, went missing while investigating in Triton Avenue?" Emily continued.

"It is as I said," Muldoon grunted.

For Adrian, the quest discussion wasn't very interesting. Instead, he found himself grinding the sole of his heeled, buckled boot on the cobblestone under his feet. The ground was wet, like rain poured down earlier this morning, but the rest of Olde Town was dry as a nice summer day. The thaumaturge glanced towards the tunnel to Triton Avenue. The arch that held the gate, as well as the walls for the tunnel entrance, was grey, with purple bricks lined along the edges and vertices. A street themed after the Storm school, why not. This is Wizard City after all. By his side, stood Cori Stormcaster. The adolescent diviner held onto Adrian's tailed overcoat designed for nobility. Her hands felt large, smooth objects within Adrian's coat, which Adrian knew that Cori had found Dorothy_02, his Advanced Wand System. Her brown, curly hair jiggled around as Cori's head kept tilting side to side, trying to find out what was within.

"Heeey, big bro," Cori called Adrian, "What's this?"

Her fingers kept rustling around the objects within his coat.

"My wands," Adrian said. "Keep delicate hands about them."

"Oh, oopsies." She let go of his coat. "It didn't feel like a wand."

Cori paused.

"Wait, you said wands, as in plural."

"Yes, indeed," Adrian nodded the other way, watching the surroundings aimlessly while twirling his gem-topped walking cane in boredom.

"How's many wands ye got?" Cori questioned, then watched Adrian's cane go spinny spinny in his fingers. "Is 'at a wand too?"

"No, just a walking cane," Adrian answered simply, while stopping his regal stick and placed its bottom firmly into the ground. "You can see how I use my wands later, I suppose."

"Right," Cori hummed, but suddenly jerked her head right and left. "Hey, have ye seen Shui-Lei?"

"That Mooshuan?" Adrian asked for confirmation.

He scratched his head, and then turned to the left, to spot Shui-Lei Stormflower peeking out from behind a tree. Her braided pigtail jolted straight as a bolt as soon as she saw that she had been found out by Adrian.

"Why is she hiding?" Cori mumbled towards Shui-Lei. "Hey! What are you hiding from?"

A hesitant sound squeaked out of the shy diviner. Shu-Lei stepped out from her somewhat ineffective cover, while patting her lab coat-like robe, and adjusted her glasses. She was literally the perfect example of a scientist's clumsy assistant who somehow is able to hold the scientist's mug of coffee.

"You know, I never seen Shuie in action before," Cori said as Shui-Lei approached bashfully. "Could it be possible I get to see the toys from your workshop? Or lab? Whatever."

"Y-Yeah, you will," Shui-Lei finally spoke. "They are just prototypes, however."

Adrian perked up at the words, "workshop," "lab," and the most grabbing one, "prototypes."

"You have a workshop?" Adrian questioned.

"Y-Yes," Shui-Lei stammered.

Most Mooshuans would've had an accent to their New Avalish, but Shui-Lei spoke the language with no stumbles at all. New Avalish is the equivalent of English, a language native to Avalon, the land of dog knights, Wizard City, home to Ravenwood, and Marleybone, a world on the steps of Industrial Revolution. But anyways, Adrian noticed Shui-Lei's fluent New Avalish, which he compared to Ashley Breeze's more accented version of the language. However, he didn't want to seem ignorant and ask about the matter.

"So what things do you have on your schematics?" Adrian asked.

"G-Golems," Shui-Lei answered. "Steam golems, autonomous machines."

Cori popped into the conversation. "Auto- what now?"

"Autonomous," Adrian repeated. "When a machine is able to work and act of its own accord."

Impressed, he smiled towards Shui-Lei.

"It's not often you find someone young working on something as advanced as golems."

"Thank you," Shui-Lei smiled bashfully. "But you shouldn't compliment only me. I'm just the deputy of Ravenwood's Research and Development Club, or just Science Club."

"Wow," Adrian breathed. "A whole group dedicated to science? In Ravenwood?"

"We strive to expand Ravenwood's grasp of magic," Shui-Lei continued, knowing that she had somehow grabbed Adrian's attention.

At this point, the ice wizard was basically ready to roll and around and fangirl at the thought of this "Science Club." Imagine what things they could develop, and discover! Imagine how techmaturgy could drastically improve technological advances of the club's creations and designs! All these thoughts floated around in Adrian's mind. One second, he was a regal, silent man. The next, he became a schoolgirl in a sailor uniform, with the boy of his dreams in his mind, squirming around with hands eager to hug himself. Only, that boy was the Science Club.

Cori watched Adrian just standing there, holding his walking cane close to his chest as he imagined whatever eggheads are supposed to have wet dreams about. At this point, Cori was sure that Adrian was a girl, with his handsome, yet feminine appearance. The storm wizard had second questions about calling Adrian "big bro" anyways. Meanwhile, Shui-Lei made careful, shy steps towards Adrian, having her trembling hands in the crook of her neck.

"I-I take it you're interested in joining R&D Club?" the diviner asked, adjusting her glasses.

Regaining some degree of tranquility, Adrian ceased his excitement and nodded towards Shui-Lei, with the same, school-girly eagerness. But suddenly, Emily Stormheart returned from her discussion with Sergeant Muldoon, casting her keen eyes upon the young Cori, the timid Shui-Lei, and the now-anticipating Adrian.

"I'm guessing I need to brief you all about the quest," Emily said plainly.

Adrian managed to get himself out of his daydreaming about Science Club, and turned to Emily with a clearing of his throat.

"I heard everything ," Adrian nodded.

Emily shrugged and glanced at her apprentice, Cori.

"How about you?"

Cori shook her head. "Sorry, I guess."

Another shrug was Emily's answer.

"Then let me explain," the violet-haired diviner started. "So far, three students have been sent to investigate and deal with the problems in Triton Avenue. Two storm wizards and a necromancer; Susie Gryphonbane, her elder brother, Artur, and Duncan Grimwater."

"Susie?" Shui-Lei repeated. "One of the journeymen valedictorians of last year?"

"And her brother, a magus," Cori wowed. "Mister Ambrose sent some powerful wizards."

"Which means, we couldn't be any better if they are already having trouble," Adrian mused, while holding his hat. "And I am still kind of recovering from my last battle. Mana is a problem."

Emily crossed her arms, trying to think something up in her brilliant mind. The undead lurks in Triton Avenue, and the investigation to find out why is currently crippled because of a missing member.

Even if this team consists of two initiates, me as a journeyman, and a novice, all together, we are four people, Emily thought. There would be six people in total to find one person. Heck, we could even find out what's causing the trouble on Triton Avenue.

The girl who was titled 'Warlord of the Arena', clapped her hands in conclusions and delivered her verdict on the situation.

"Hey, individually, we would have power of journeymen at most, but together, I bet we could topple even a master wizard!" Emily grinned. "We have a lot of bodies searching for one, so we should struggle much. Add four to three, minus Artur, and we have six wizards, as a team."

Adrian was still a bit skeptic. Shui-Lei was just as nervous as the ice wizard, only two times more, and Cori didn't really care. All she knows that she had to wave her wand around whenever some undead creep approaches. With those returning looks, Emily tried to rack up something else to say.

"Besides," Emily smiled. "You have me; warlord duelist and master strategist. Not to mention one of the Four Elite Initiates! I have bragging rights you know."

Shouldn't it be the Four Elite Journeymen now? Cori thought.

"And what are you so worried about?" Emily came up and slapped Adrian on the back of his shoulder. "You and that Scarlet girl almost beat Ashley! I know for sure, that you're more powerful than your average initiate."

"O-Ow…" Adrian squeaked as he was hit. "I g-guess…"

"Pfft," Emily sounded. "I'm sure Shuie has some mana potions for you anyways."

"Managing how I distribute my mana is the problem," Adrian explained. "I can't regenerate mana like usual, and I might end up being burnt out of action."

Emily rolled her eyes and brashly pulled Adrian in under her arm. "You've got three diviners with you, for Bartleby's sake. Storm is the strongest magic school after all."

"Yeah!" Cori bounced up, giving two thumbs up to the ice wizard.

Shui-Lei gave a simple, timid wave of a hand to Adrian.

"You might dirty my coat…" Adrian mumbled.

"You can always buy a new one," Emily huffed. "You're going into battle anyways."

Emily mumbled out, "Marleybonians," like they were all the same.

"Oh I'm sure you would like to dirty up your arcane robes as well," Adrian smirked, taking a look at Emily's cream and purple colored wizardly garments. "With a gander at those threads, I know they're more than nine hundred crowns."

Surprised at how Adrian accurately appraised her clothes, Emily switched her glance elsewhere.

"Is that the same with all Marleybonians?" she asked. "Having eyes that attaches price tags to everything?"

"You try being stuck in a room and read fashion catalogues out of boredom," Adrian grinned.

The thaumaturge budged out from under Emily's arm, and patted down his coat.

"I suppose we should go," Adrian suggested. "We can't banter around about the values of our clothes when we have a wizard missing."

"Right on, then!" Cori jumped. "I'm going to skewer me some lightning-fried ghouls!"

"Ew," Shui-Lei choked. "You're going to eat ghouls?"

"Haha, nah. But you know, I think there are lots of frogs in Triton Avenue."

Cori let her tongue swish around her lips, wettening them for a snack.

"I do love fried frogs, or in stew."

Shui-Lei only hobbled away from Cori while holding her stomach.

"Ugh," she grossed out. "No wonder she's a Grizzleheimic."

Amused, Cori let out a laugh at Shui-Lei, but then the two was called over by Emily, who was heading towards the tunnel to Triton Avenue with Adrian. As the four traveled up the tunnel, Cori made a light using her storm magic to scare away the darkness, especially since Adrian wasn't exactly fond of the dark combined with conformed spaces. Throughout the lengthy tunnel, Adrian asked about the walls. He observed mosaics and art that was made in the tunnels.

"Those were made by the second generation students of the Purple House," Emily explained. "You know how the Violet Nightingales were talented in the arts. Those students were mostly storm wizards."

Emily traced out one of the passing stone mosaics on the wall. She explained how these artworks told a story, a story of how the tritons came to be.

"Now tritons were legendary creatures, and are descendants of the original triton, whose name is… Well, Triton."

Emily shrugged to Cori's question, was to why Triton had a whole race of creatures named after him.

"Triton is the son of the Aquilan Immortal, Poeseidon Earth Shaker. He was born in order to help fight against Cronus, that one ancient Aquilan Immortals who was the father of Poseidon, as well as Hades the Unseen and Zeus Sky Father."

"Why do they have such weird names?" Cori asked. "'Earth Shaker?' 'Sky Father?' Are those like middle and last names combined?"

"Hey, I'm not an Aquilan," Emily retorted. "Anyways, Triton had many sons, who were mermen just like him, and his daughters were mermaids. Now listen here, Aquila once faced danger again, as Hades the Unseen suspected his brothers of stealing an ancient helm of his, so the tritons were sent to defend the Aquilan mainland against the undead sailors and seamen who rose from the ocean. They fought heroically, and were deemed guardians of the sea."

As Emily neared the end of the tritons' lore, she, Adrian, Shui-Lei, and Cori met the end of the tunnel, coming out and into the open, setting foot on the wet, rain-fresh streets of Triton Avenue.

"And that's why Triton Avenue gained its name," Emily concluded. "These streets hold the main source of water for Wizard City, which gives rain to this world. The tritons blessed this place with an endless supply of water, as well as the many sources of storm magic to power many of the technologies running in Wizard City."

Impressed by the story, Adrian looked up into the sky. He saw that the streets of Triton Avenue had skies of overcast clouds. It seemed like those clouds would never disappear, and the smell of the streets was fresh, like morning dew in the misty air, or an afternoon in the green hills of Grizzleheim's countryside after a shower.

"Now, off to find Susie Gryphonbane?" Emily asked. "We were supposed to meet her further down the street in the direction of the Four Falls Mills."

"The street is awfully empty," Shui-Lei remarked.

Adrian saw what she meant. He imagined the purple and grey cobblestone streets to be culturous, populated with neighbors and commuters, pulling around carts of food or something. Instead, the streets were dead empty like a ghost town.

"The undead must be further down south of Tirton Avenue," Emily thought aloud. "And more across the Crab Alley River and the Four Falls."

She started forward, hugging onto her big, thick grimoire, and her three wizardly companions followed. The wind howled silently. Triton Avenue as of its current weather and atmosphere, seemed to be like a happy, sunny-less day, but the emptiness made everything hallow and ominous. The three diviners and thaumaturge continued onwards, until they saw a small valley, about sixth a mile wide. The view was amazing. The street continued down the valley side and across Crab Alley River. Willow trees were placed sparingly along the rift, and in the distance, the wizard took sight of four narrow waterfalls, which flowed from a pond. A millhouse was next to the pond, and watermill spun, pushed into rotation by the strange flows of the pond. A tiny island was home to a dueling circle, which was erected in the middle of the Crab Alley River, seeming to be the source of the stream of water.

"See there, folks?" Cori pointed. "Me thinks I've found a fellow wizard!"

Emily followed after Cori's words and glanced further down the street that descended into the valley. A storm wizard dressed in purple and yellow garbs, looking out into the valley. She had a magic staff, with a velvet violet shaft. On the top was an impressive amethyst, with three metal prongs sticking out of it, giving the staff the appearance of a bronze trident. Adrian couldn't make out the diviner's face, but her light ash brown hair was made into a ponytail, which flapped around to the winds of Triton Avenue. The storm wizard was off in a daydream, or so it seems. She had a face of worry, but that was quickly altered as she heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. Looking over her shoulder, the diviner spotted four fellow wizards. Three girl diviners and one girl thaumaturge.

Or is that thaumaturge actually… a guy?

The storm wizard shook her head in enriddlement.

"I suppose you are Susie?" Emily Stormheart stepped forward.

"Gryphonbane," Susie answered back.

Her eyes were sharp, like you would've thought that she was a cold, winter hawk, but the rest of her face opened up some windows where her smile could be as warm as a nice, hearthen fireplace.

"Are you four the reinforcements? I never expected one of the Four Elite Initiates to be sent on this quest, or should I say Four Elite Journeymen?"

"That's what I thought!" Cori remarked.

"Yes, we are the reinforcements," Emily confirmed. "Tasked with the objective of finding your brother?"

Susie's eyes lit up. "Yes! So glad you guys came! I've been trying to get someone to help me, but all the guards are too busy with the events of late. I am guessing the Headmaster sent you?"

"He wouldn't have trusted anybody else with the job!" Cori piped up.

Emily slapped the back of her apprentice's head. "Shut up, Cori."

Susie smirked at the little bout between Emily and Cori, but she continued.

"My brother and I can use the help. We are trying to stop all the undead that broke down the gate from the Haunted Cave and invaded the area."

Her smirk subtly formed into pursed lips.

"I went after Artur, but I found this when I first set foot into the Haunted Cave…"

Susie's hand rustled around into her spellbook, pulling something out of her magic backpack, producing a broken wand that was torn into two. If it were put back together, the wand was like an illusionary magician's wand; black with a white top.

"At least, I can bet now that he was right about the Haunted Cave as being the source of evil," Susie mumbled.

"What is this Haunted Cave?" Adrian asked. "Tis' a peculiar yet general name."

Emily's brows raised at the question, and a short chuckle was made. "Yeah, indeed."

The warlord diviner tucked her grimoire in her right arm, as her left was raised, pointing to beyond the other side of the valley.

"Further north of Triton Avenue, is the Haunted Cave, one of the 'spawning grounds' for undead creatures, it being the most dangerous."

Emily returned her violet eyes to Adrian.

"We send students there to train, or to grab samples of necromantic origin, but now it seems that things there have grown out of control. The Haunted Cave is usually sealed and protected by a strong spell, with a password..."

Her words strayed off as she came to realization.

"You think someone could've tampered with the spell?" Emily questioned. "Someone who knows the password to the sealing spell may have caused the Haunted Cave to go out of control!"

"That is a good hypothesis," Susie nodded, crossing her arms with trident in one hand. "But no one really knows who has the password for the Haunted Cave's seal, except for its caster, Mister Lincoln the registrar, and of course, Headmaster Ambrose."

"I can't imagine those folks tryin' ta sabotage Wizard City, yea," Cori commented.

Everyone's voices came to a standstill, as that path of investigation led to a dead end. Susie hugged her elbows together, trying to think of something else, as her trident-like staff floated beside her.

"You know what?" Susie made up her mind. "Could you talk to Duncan Grimwater?"

The diviner showed the way, further down the canyon, pointing towards a black and white-clothed figure.

"He is a Death student studying the events here, trying to piece together what is going on."

Her face changed for a more subtly disgusted version.

"He's a little snobbish… but he might have a clue as to my brother's whereabouts. Can you check with him, please? I'm here monitoring any activity in the southern region of Triton Avenue."

"I'm sure we've met snobbish people every now and then," Emily assured. "At least this Duncan's doing his job, yeah?"

Susie hesitantly nodded her head side to side like she was saying "Uh, sure, perhaps," and then nodded to confirm it as a yes.

"Merle Ambrose sent another group of wizards to help out?" Duncan asked. "I guess he thinks that Susie and her brother cannot handle this situation. I guess that's what happens you send Storm students to do a Death student's job."

Utterly irked, Emily tilted her head back with revulsion, while Cori pouted behind Emily's cloak, probably wanting to talk back to the rude comment. Adrian raised a brow at Duncan, recognizing his offense to his partners, but his eyes took further notice to his appearance. His skin was like chocolate, eyes like a silver, and hair unknownst to Adrian because Duncan had it hidden under his hood. His clothes overall was a long wizard's robe that had a similar take on Nicole's robes, also sharing their black and white dye preferences. His staff was somehow a bit spooky. At the top, Duncan's staff had a mini upper torso of a skeleton with no arms, and a wide-open jaw. Indeed, this was Duncan Grimwater, a necromancer.

"You do realize that we are diviners ourselves, right?" Emily asked. "Plus the occasional thaumaturge."

Duncan glanced between Emily and her group. Clearly, there were three storm wizards, dead giveaway by their clothing, but then there was the nobly-clothed boy or girl with a top hat and walking cane.

"I suppose that person is the ice wizard? Couldn't really tell because the gal looks like a Marleybonian. Strange clothes for a girl too."

"I am a male," Adrian roughly growled, though his high tenor voice wasn't really convincing of his claim.

At first, Duncan seemed surprised, squinting towards Adrian's face, leaning close to even dare to tip the ice wizard's top hat up to get a clearer image of his face. Duncan's silver eyes then switched to Adrian's footwear. There hasn't been one time Duncan had seen a guy wearing heeled footwear. The necromancer even went to the point of squeezing at Adrian's chest, which made everyone else step back with raised eyebrows regarding the fruity scene. Everyone except Shui-Lei, who leaned forward instead, with hands under her chin, and the sun reflecting off the lenses of her glasses, wanting to know what kinky events would occur next.

Settled with his investigation, Duncan stepped back and sighed. "Fine enough, you're a guy."

"If Adrian was girl, I would've scalped you," Emily growled.

"I thought Adrian was a girl name?" Duncan asked.

"It's unisex," Cori said.

"I wish that would've kept going~" Shui-Lei mumbled to herself quietly with a blush.

"I just wish to go home," Adrian turned around.

"I wish we would all just get to the point," Emily snapped.

After those words, everyone had shut their mouths in front of Emily, not daring to utter one single word. Duncan cleared his throat into his fist and nodded.

"Yeah, back to the point," he started. "So what is it?"

"Susie's brother is missing, and she thought if you could have any clues to his wherabouts," Emily explained.

"Pfft, he must've been scared and ran off to Ravenwood," Duncan smirked ignorantly.

Emily raised her chin, and then tilted her head forward to Duncan, subtly hinting that this was a more rigid situation.

"Susie found his broken wand by the Haunted Cave."

Duncan's expression changed to a slightly surprised face.

"The Haunted Cave…"

He thought about it, trying to gather and sum anything from his prior knowledge, but shook his head.

"I'll check around to and see what I can find out," Duncan offered.

He then turned around, facing towards the Four Falls Mill and the northern part of Triton Avenue.

"In the meantime, I could use some help with my field studies. I need to find out the fighting tactics of the Undead. Knowing how they may fight can give us some insight on them."

Duncan peeked a shy glance from his shoulder.

"I would do it myself but… uh… I just ran out of treasure cards."

He turned back to Emily and her questmates.

"Just defeat some Rotting Fodders, then report back to me afterwards. There may be some spirits there as well."

"Rotting Fodders?" Cori asked, questioning the name.

"Oh yeah," Duncan recalled. "The ghouls released here are anomalies. There are a lot of them lurking around, seeming to be looking for something. They could just be pawns of distraction as well, having something more scheming as they're put to keep us away. Any apprentice could handle them. So yeah, Rotting Fodders."

"Pfft, you don't need treasure cards to put down a couple of ghouls," Emily scoffed.

"These ghouls are different," Duncan pressed. "They fight differently than the ones we summon. That's why we need intelligence on how they battle. Unpredictable. Last time I fought them, they made soil and dirt gather in their palm, trying to blast me with that stuff. It's like they're using magic!"

"It seems like it probably is," Adrian suggested, crossing his arms.

"I don't recall any school of magic that can make earth float into their hands," Cori said. "Maybe Life magic, and that's a ridiculous suggestion already. Why would ghouls use magic in the first place?"

"Well that's what we're supposed to find out," Emily reminded Cori. "It looks like we've got a mystery on our hands!"

"What are you, twelve?" Cori mumbled.

"I enjoyed reading Little Sherlock Bones when I was little," Emily groaned. "I can still be a kid, you know."

"Well," Adrian pondered aloud. "If they ghouls are able to manipulate dirt, a physical entity…"

He reached up with his free right hand, letting stray leaves and particles get attracted into a singularity in his palm, forming an orb of airborne jetsam.

"Then they must've used Levitation," Adrian assumed.

Being silent all this time, Shui-Lei also thought up of something, being a bit happy to contribute.

"That's an Initiate-level spell," Shui-Lei added. "I doubt ghouls could learn or use something like that off the bat, so something larger must be at work."

"Then how is Adrian able to do it with his bare hands?" Emily said.

"I studied in Wysteria," Adrian simply put.

He also pointed blatantly towards his right forearm with an innocent smile.

"I also have a wand up my sleeve!"

"Oh," Emily sounded.

She shook her head, dismissing Adrian's visual illusions and playfulness. Emily glanced at her questmates, puffing up her chest and brought her hands to her hips, like she was going to say something like, 'without further ado'.

"I guess we shall be off," the storm wizard decided, blowing a strand of her violet hair out of the way.

"These are actual battles we are getting into, so keep attentive feet, and be ready for any commands."

"Commands?" Adrian asked. "In mid-battle? That will be a bit hard for me, as I battle of my own accord, and my focus applies in the same way."

"Just trust me," Emily assured him. "After all, I am a master strategist."

"Someone needs a bragging reduction spell," Cori mumbled.

In return, the young diviner gets whacked with a grimoire by Emily.

It could very well be considered as an underground warehouse, with no windows to let light from the inside shine in. The facility contained aisles and aisles of failed or scrapped machinery, which were stacked high and mightily. The only sounds were the creaking of the hanging lamps above, to which few were radiating, to give some degree of lumination upon certain areas and aisles.

The shelved machines, among the oldest, were golems, made of metal like bronze, steel, and iron. They held scents of rust and frost. Some were fat, pudgy, while others was built skinny, yet dignified, like servants. Among the ranks of mechanical menaces, a portion were equipped with the means to serve in combative means, such as piston-enhanced fists the size of whatever could break through the toughest gates. Galvanic pylons stuck out of a few other prototypes. If activated, they would prove certain death within a set perimeter. The rest of the mechanical constructs seemed to be fitting with fancy suits, taking impressions of high-class butlers.

An old track would play, with its tape winding and being read by a magical conch shell, its voice warped out of recognition.

Log entry fifty seven. These models of metal prove inefficient. I am unable to implement equipment and enhancements worthy of combat, while being able to serve and disguise in civilian environments-slash-situations. I must try something else.

Further along the aisles, samples of rotting bodies and Undead were kept. Some were contained in boxes, labeled Voltaile, while the rest were displayed in tubes, filled with water. The rotting corpses floated around aimlessly. Some twitched, and their eyeballs rolled around, kept against their wills.

Log entry one hundred and twenty nine. The Undead specimens are unviable for servanthood. Of course, it is as expected. I aimed to change it, but nothing works. Undead with servant-like memories seemed promising. However, it is not enough. Memories are a far cry from what can produce intelligence.

A silence then came from the voice, but it grew ominous.

Where am I to get such intelligence? Even if I retrieved cerebremic samples from live specimens, I was not able to create sentient behavior….

The voice suddenly let out a short chuckle in excitement as they made up an idea.

Create…

Continuing along the failed projects, to sets of magical crystals, the shelves started to contain numerous variations of all colors. Red, green, blue, any of what the minds can imagine. All of them were polished and pristine, while the rest were still kept in boxes, stamped with Imported from Dragonspyre. From the magical crystals on display, magical holographs of souls, or what seemed to be souls, floated above them. All of the holograms were of humanoid figures, and their faces vacant of feeling, and other holograms' mentalities were unstable. They kept spewing about random nonsense.

Log entry four hundred and seven. No matter how hard I try… I wasn't able to create the formula for sentience. It seems only the gods know of how we creatures are able to feel, make sense, and think for ourselves. How can I gain the knowledge for their formula for sentience, even as it exists within us? This formula that gives what makes us… human. It can only be replicated as life continues…

A pause.

Replicated…

The shelves then turned into simple tables, with devices designed to somehow gain access to the mind of whoever the devices was used on, from hats of metal and cords, to operating table-like things with wires connected to memory crystals.

Log entry five hundred and fifteen. After many trials, it seems to have taken a toll on my mind… However, I finally able was able to do it. Now, it needs a vessel capable to carrying out my deeds.

The aisles of tables, shelves, and workshops containing prototypes, models, experiments, finally come to a stop. At the end of the long path into the warehouse, was a single desk. On top, was a standing screen that displayed information, numbers, words, and magical runes; a computer monitor.

Behind the desk, was a constructed and fully-completed… body, contained in a large glass tube. It took appearance of a young lady. Her face was beautiful and amorous. An artificial flower was crafted into her shoulder-length hair. The skin had a light-blue tint, and tiny crevices were there as well, as if her body could be opened to contain objects within. Her eyes however, were closed. The lady's body was clothed in a strange, yet elegant dress that bared her shoulders, arms, and legs. Overall, her figure was short, petite, yet supple.

Suddenly, the computer screen in front of the dormant lady flashed with red. Words appeared on the monitor, reading:

SUMMONING BEACON ACTIVATED. DEPLOYING SERVANT WITHIN PARAMETERS: 0_1, MARK I

A lengthy cable was connected from the computer screen, which snaked out from the behind, trailed down the desk, onto the floor, and was attached to the glass tube containing the dormant lady. From the computer, a flash of information streamed from it and to the glass tube through the cable. Without warning, the floor around the lady in the glass tube began to glow with runes and symbols. A magic circle was drawn there all along, and the lady in the glass was in the center. Arcane runes and symbols which brightened with light and the magic circle grew in power, gaining strength to do whatever it was purposed for. In center, the lady of the glass tube's eyelids flew open, revealing crimson eyes, with camera lens-like mechanics for pupils. Her lips parted, and simple words slipped out.

"Responding to summoning beacon imminent."

Nothing more could be described, as the lady disappeared in a blinding flash, and the magic circle lost its magic and radiance, dimming back to its dormant state. The only thing that was left were the computer, desk, and the glass tube home to the lady.

The recording of the distorted voice would play again from the tracks and tapes.

Log entry five-hundred and sixteen. She is finished, and her name shall be…

Amelia_01.