Chapter Thirteen: Anatomy
Creating a homunculus came surprisingly easy for him. It was all a matter of trial and error until he stumbled upon the correct solution. The more difficult task was making any sort of use out of them. So far they were nothing more than dolls, lifeless forms that couldn't move without assistance. Somehow he would need to find a way of giving the doll motor functions while still keeping it in his control. There was always the option of taking the easy route and seeking demonic guidance, but Lezard would not resort to that unless he had no other choice.
It was obvious that he was missing something in the process. He at first experimented by giving it an electric charge but it only left the body charred and useless. If religion was to be believed, every human existed with a soul. A body was temporal and a soul immortal, passing on after the body gave out to be judged by the Valkyrie and reap the rewards or punishments for the person's life. A soul seemed a logical missing piece in his homunculus puzzle but it also raised an interesting question: What about the elves?
Though he scoured every book he could find, Lezard could not find any definite information on the creatures. They were not humans but neither were they gods. It was well understood that elves were the guardians of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Without living elves to guard it the World Tree could wither, and thus the world would perish. Did they exist without souls? If so, what about them made it possible to function without one? If they did in fact have a soul, how was it different from a human soul?
Such were the questions that grew in his mind. It would be impossible to answer them with the information available to him. Therefore if he wished to find any answers he would have to journey out on his own. He would need an elf, but they never left the Forest of Spirits. Coming to them was the only option but how to do so was the problem. Obviously it would be protected from unwanted intrusion and when he did manage to break through the defenses, he doubted the elves would be compliant to his wishes. He would have to plan for multiple contingencies.
Lezard spent many days in preparation for what he thought as his most important research yet. One day he devoted completely to learning new spells that could be of some use once he managed to enter the Forest of Spirits, as well as practicing some older ones to be sure his skills remained sharp. As he was doing so he sent Drache ahead to observe the area and come back with a detailed report. As a manifestation of magical power, Drache would be able to sense if not pass through whatever barriers the elves had in place. With the information Drache provided, Lezard was able to plan his route once entering the forest. It was crucial that he not be spotted by any elves but the one he would question.
Once he had a plan for infiltrating the forest, the next step would be in getting there. He went to the port searching for ships that traveled anywhere close to the forest's location. Naturally the ship captains were wise enough to chart their course a safe distance from the forest, even if it caused their travel time to lengthen unnecessarily. Naturally he would prefer going by his own power but didn't have time to learn the mechanics of piloting a boat. He heard rumors of a spell that could take a person from one location to another. Unfortunately all he heard suggested it was a very powerful spell and difficult to master. He would leave that option as a back-up plan.
Having lost his patience with sailors, Lezard decided he would rely on his own powers to travel. He acquired a boat and used magic to steer the vessel in the proper direction. With the strength of his magically-created wind he would be able to reach the forest in no less than a day. The true owners of the boat would hardly notice its absence in that time. Lezard had little time for reflection as he traveled but at this point he had planned so thoroughly that there was nothing left for him but action. Exerting his magical energy in this manner would leave him drained when he arrived at the forest, but he saved enough to create an entrance for himself if necessary.
The trip was largely uneventful. Drache had to be called away so Lezard could conserve energy, and other than a passing flock of birds, nothing interesting happened. He climbed out of the boat when he struck land and took a moment to just admire the scenery. He could feel the energy radiating from the forest. Somehow being close to it restored his strength. Lezard pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and moved closer to the forest. He felt no resistance, no force pushing him back. Spiritual energy surrounded him in a fog the further he proceeded inside, thickening and enclosing around him.
All seemed quiet except for the sound of his boots crushing the earth. It was as if the forest was asleep. Perhaps the elves had lived for so long without any visitors that they lowered their guard. A mistake on their part, but very fortuitous for him. Now and then the forest would stir and send out a creature to investigate this invader but he managed to take care of such interruptions fairly easily. He still saw no sign of any elves but he did notice that the forest seemed to grow more hostile the deeper he penetrated. The dense spiritual energy was almost suffocating.
Lezard came upon a lake where at last his eyes beheld one of the elves. He stood quietly staring at the creature for some time. If not for the slightly elongated ears that were pointed rather than curved, this creature could easily pass off as human. The facial features were perhaps sharper than on a human face, and the creature held an aura of grace and elegance that a human could never pull off. Was it simply their connection with the World Tree that separated elves from humans? Lezard stepped forward to have a closer look.
The elf quickly turned and the two regarded one another. It was difficult for Lezard to discern if this elf were male or female. His presence seemed to catch the elf off-guard but when it recovered it rose to its feet and whipped out a bow and arrow. Lezard gave an impatient sigh. He had hoped he could do this without violence. He held up his hands as a sign of peace but the elf didn't seem to understand the gesture. It released an arrow; Lezard stepped aside so the weapon only grazed his cloak.
"There is no need for such brutality," he told the elf patiently. "I am not here to harm you. I only wish to ask you a few questions, if I may." The elf shouted something back to him in an unfamiliar language. He thought he could still catch the gist of it from the elf's expression: Leave or I'll kill you. "Please listen to me. I am no danger to you." The elf apparently disagreed, as it was notching another arrow to its bowstring. Clearly he wasn't going to get any answers like this. Sighing, Lezard chanted a sleeping spell to fall over the elf. He still wanted the creature alive, after all.
If he thought the forest was growing hostile toward him before, once he captured the elf he discovered that it had exploded in rage. He could barely take a few steps before he was attacked by a monster seeking to stop him from taking the elf. Feeling concerned that the forest would rip more than his clothes in its effort to stop him, Lezard once again found he had no other choice but to retaliate. It was purely for defensive reasons; he certainly didn't wish to actually harm the forest's inhabitants in any way, in case he ever needed to return here.
Finally he escaped from the forest, with his unconscious prize lying in the boat beside him. Sailing away from the forest proved to be a much rougher journey as even the sea rose up against him. The waves rolled underneath his boat in angry ripples, pounding its watery fists against the wood. Lezard pressed on regardless. He decided that he would have to learn that teleportation spell if ever he wished to return to this forest. He seriously doubted he would survive another trip of this nature. It was a battle of wills all the way back to Flenceberg.
Lezard was drenched in cold seawater, his body shaking with fatigue when he reached his homeland. He longed for rest but could not seek it until he and his captive were safely away from the public eye. He pulled the body into the nearest closed area he could find before collapsing in weariness.
Initial contact with the subject resulted in brutality. Attempts of peaceful persuasion failed, resulting in capture of the subject. Escape after subject's capture proved to be nearly impossible. If a return trip is imminent, more careful planning will be necessary. On waking the subject again refused any contact. Subject uses an unfamiliar language but it is believed that the subject is praying to the gods. The subject continues refusing to share secrets. It is impossible to return the subject.
Lezard paused in his writing and thoughtfully glanced over at the captured elf. He had tied its hands and its feet together. It was quiet now, resolved in its capture but stubborn to share anything useful. Lezard was feeling very frustrated with his stubborn captive. He didn't wish to kill the creature, but he couldn't keep it in Flenceberg alive without raising suspicion. Truly, there was no other choice in the matter. Reluctantly he ended the elf's life. One less to guard the World Tree. He wondered if the Tree felt the loss.
Humans and elves were very alike, and very different at the same time. As Lezard studied the elf's body the whisper of an idea formed in his mind. It grew until it filled him like all of his ideas tended to do. A human and an elf combined… surely something no one would dare explore because of the sacrilegious connotations. But he had forsaken those worries of the gods long ago. Another path was opening for him, another step that would surely bring him closer to the Philosopher's Stone.
Once again he would stretch the boundaries of the possible and impossible, and triumph.