Chapter 4: The Alchemide Elements
[07/18/4517]
Maddox stood before a desk where a man dressed in a business suit with a pocket watch. Maddox held his hat and trench coat over his arms. The desk sign read Ambassador Winters. He looked at the chairs hoping to sit down. Instead he had to wait for the ambassador’s assistant to finish taking forms he was signing. Maddox could see past the window, people running with papers across the promenade in a panic. The guards hurried to their checkpoints. A door opened and a young man wearing glasses peeked inside. “Ambassador… telegram message from his majesty.”
“Bring it.” He said without looking and signed another document. As his assistant received the message, Maddox placed his hand in the chair. “Did I offer you a seat?”
Maddox stood up straight as the young man left the office.
“Read the message Ms. Torin.”
“Ambassador Winters, I will be having a summit with its King Joseph to quell any potential incitement of its people. My kingdom is at sensitive time frame where we could end up in war with Eiberia due to the presence of the Earthworlder. It is my hope that I can convince King Joseph not to act irrational. To work with me in cooperation of a formal investigation as to who brought the Earthworlder to Teora that cost the lives of Eiberian citizens in the Braddock Forest region. As of this moment, the nations have declared that International Law is in full effect. Provide Detective Colt Maddox full co-operation and all protections of the victim, Mr. Kenichi Yamamura. I have spoken, so true are my words. –King Elmond III.”
Maddox breathed a sigh of relief, but Ambassador Winters cleared his throat. It got the detective’s attention.
“What happened when you got here?”
“The victim, Kenichi Yamamura, started dying upon our arrival. I could not risk taking him to hospital, so I found the clinic of Doctor Sarina Loren to save his life.”
“His condition?”
“Oxygen poisoning ambassador.” Maddox saw Winters slouched. “He got up the mountain so fast, that he didn’t suffer from the effects of our atmosphere. It was like breathing in Earthworld to him at Darius.”
“I see.” The ambassador stood up and looked out the window watching the staff and guards continue to run across the field in a panic. “This… this is the mess you made.”
“I insisted we would go see Doctor Harrison and not go to the warehouse.”
“No excuses. You should have dragged him to the doctor like you were supposed to. He needs to be alive!”
“I’m sorry. I acted in poor judgment.”
Ms. Torin spoke. “Mayor Gerod will be here soon.”
“Leave detective, I have some cleaning up to do on my end. Do not worry about the Earthtech, our guards are at the warehouse. You will focus on the Earthworlder’s health and have… the victim ready for testimony back at Ironguard.”
“Yes ambassador.” Maddox slipped on his trench coat and when he exited the office, he put on his fedora.
***
Emma stood before the Grand Library of Nirico. It was made of marble with pillars at the entrance. Windows across the building where visitors can be seen walking inside. When she entered the ceiling was high, and the second and third floors were visible from the entrance. Emma stood like a statue watching students disappear into the aisles carrying books to read. People walked past her exiting and entering the building, looked at her with curiosity.
“Is she Borinqueño?” A woman said looking at Emma's tail.
“I think so.” A man replied.
Emma woke from her shock and approached the receptionist. “Excuse me.”
The receptionist turned around. She looked like a deer with short antlers wearing a dress. “May I help you?”
“I want to find a book on the elements.”
“Magic or science?”
“Oh… uh… both.”
“All right, let me get the information for you.” The receptionist stood before a telegraph and started tapping away.
Emma checked on her arm on the sling. The pain went away, however she does not know how much further until she could take the sling off. She caressed her arm wishing it would end.
The receptionist turned around and presented Emma with a slip. “Here you are. The books are on the third floor.”
“Thank you.” Emma bowed and walked away. She climbed her way up the stairs. The only sound echoing the halls were flipping pages and footsteps. As passed by each aisle, she saw students sitting on the carpeted floor reading books and taking notes. Following the information she received, Emma stood before a long aisle. She saw a female student on the other end of the aisle walking by with books in hand. She entered the aisle.
The books were about science. Emma followed the information and found a group of books on the elements. As she skimmed through the titles, one caught her eyes, ‘The Elements of Metal’. She pulled out the Brass knuckles, neat and cleaned and held it up to her beside the book. She looked around to make sure no one was watching and flipped through the pages.
Emma sat down as another student walked by her through the aisle carrying books. She slid her fingers along the table of contents and found the chapter on alloys. She flipped through the pages thinking of what the metal she was holding was. Her memories of Fumiko were clear. “Ikaruga was made of a specific metal and so was this. What was it?”
As Emma went through every page reading the names of each metal, she remembered Fumiko handing Kenichi a small box. Inside it were two silver Brass knuckles. Her head ached. Leaned back taking deep breaths as her mind replayed Fumiko’s memories like video. She stared out at the books as remembered what they were called. “Brass knuckles. No wait.”
Emma looked at the brass knuckles. “Titanium.”
She lifted up the book. “They haven’t been discovered on this world yet.”
Emma got up and put the book back. She slid the brass knuckles on. Knowing that it was her that gave these knuckles to Kenichi, she pressed her hand over her heart, and looked out the aisle. “It can’t be true.”
Emma arrived on the other side of the third floor. She walked into a room where a librarian watched over everyone sitting by the tables reading books and taking notes. She saw a young man approached her with a book. It was about magic. Emma watched the librarian subject him to questions, forms, and identification information before he could walked out with it. She continued inside following the bookshelves with all kinds of books on magic. Following the slip from the receptionist, she arrived at the only book about elements, ‘The Alchemides: Arthurium and Merlinion’. “It looks like I’m back to school again.”
Emma approached the library. She presented her the book and a wallet. The librarian opened the wallet revealing information. ‘Emma Rosado. Librarian. Biblioteca de Alejandría. Cayey, Borinquén’. Emma’s black and white photo was next to the seal of the government and the great seal of the Librarian Guilds.
“Welcome Ms. Rosado.” The librarian took a key and reached down to a locked security box. After opening it, she placed a small book and pen before Emma. “Please note the name of the book, then sign and date. You have twenty-four hours to return this book.”
“Understood.” Emma signed and dated the book. “Thank you.”
***
Kenichi was doing push ups in his hospital room. His shirt draped over a chair. Although the door was closed, he overheard Sarina talking with a man outside. All he had in his mind was trying to get his breathing back to normal. Kenichi thought about the pain in his chest. How he collapsed from that fight. He hoped this exercise would remove his frustration over his condition. He cannot figure out why his body will not adjust to this world. He struggled with one more push and collapsed. He slapped the floor. “Why? What am I missing?”
There was a knock on the door. Kenichi stood up and grabbed his shirt. “Come in.”
As Kenichi wore his shirt, Sarina opened the door with a doctor following her. He was a Kimo sapien. His orange hair stretched down his back. He reached out to Kenichi with his wide hand. “Hello, I am Doctor Churi Harrison.”
“Kenichi Yamamura.” He took the doctor’s hand and analyzed it. His hand looked small next to the doctor’s. Kenichi then shook hands with a firm grip. He scratched the back of his head. “Sorry. You’re the first non-human I am meeting.”
“You’re my first Earthworlder.” Doctor Harrison presented him the seat and they sat down. “So Mr. Yamamura, how do like Teora so far?”
“It’s a nice world so far. I haven’t seen much since I got here. It feels weird having a young body.”
“I see.” The doctor took a board and looked at his mouth. “Have you been eating well?”
After Harrison looked inside, Kenichi answered. “I’m not use to the food. It’s too rich.”
“Interesting.” The doctor took out a small flashlight. He pressed a button and shined it into Kenichi’s eyes. “Are you aware of magic?”
“Yes.”
Doctor Harrison leaned back and presented the flashlight. “This little thing is called the pocket light. This is the first device to activate a light spell without a chant. It’s so convenient.”
“I see.”
“Now to check on your chest.” The doctor took his stethoscope and walked behind Kenichi. He placed it on the back. “I need you to breathe in and out.”
As Kenichi took a deep breath, the doctor nodded. “Interesting. One more time.”
Kenichi repeated as he noticed Sarina was looking away. “Are you okay?”
“Ah…” Sarina tightened her grip on her staff. “I’m fine. I had a meeting about how I took care of you.”
Doctor Harrison walked back to his seat. “There’s no need to worry about her now.”
“You’re not angry at her?”
“It’s okay. She only got a warning for committing malpractice. Detective Maddox vouched for her and apologized not going to a hospital as she had told you to do.”
“I’m sorry doctor.” Kenichi bowed to Sarina. “It was not intention to cause you trouble.”
Doctor Harrison spoke. “It’s okay. She saved your life which was important. Now I’m here to deal with your breathing situation. I have been informed by the ambassador of Ironguard of your situation. You are in good hands.”
“Thank you doctor.” Kenichi bowed again.
“Ha ha ha… such politeness. I like your customs.”
“You mean… Japanese?”
“Right, you have not gone to Kyoto yet. I visited there last year. A very beautiful city-state. The Kyoto Institute of Technology is a very fascinating school. Education in science. Did you know that it was your people that discovered the elements Arthurium and Merlinion?”
“N… no.”
“This was a breakthrough in medicine and magic. A lot of what we take granted makes so much sense now. Medical researchers found these two elements in our bodies similar to iron and zinc.”
Kenichi tilted his head. Doctor Harrison leaned back and turned to Sarina. “Does he know?”
“No.” Sarina shook her head side to side.
“I never had to chance to learn anything. I was kept quarantined in Ironguard until I had all my shots.”
“Then they sent you down the mountain without knowing if your body adjusted to the atmosphere?”
Kenichi nodded.
Doctor Harrison crossed his arms. “Idiots. They really almost got you killed.”
“To be fair doctor, my starting point was Eiberia. Apparently that country causes everyone trouble, so they wanted me out of Ironguard as soon as possible. Also King Elmond doesn’t want me to know magic until everything is resolved.”
“Still, their doctors should have taken the atmosphere into account when checked on you.” Doctor Harrison slapped his lap. “Okay, Arthurium and Merlinion are chemical elements like iron and oxygen. Arthurium is a metal and Merlinion is a gas. They are two of the most ten abundant elements on Teora. These two elements are known as the Alchemide Elements.”
Sarina spoke. “They’re called that because both elements are compatible with all the other elements except themselves. When they mix with the host element, they change the property of the host element depending on what you are trying to make.”
“I see.” Kenichi leaned forward.
Doctor Harrison continued. “You see, the air we breathe has Merlinion naturally. As a result it thickened the oxygen which is why you are having difficulty breathing. Now, if you go to the capital city of Darius and its neighboring towns, they don’t have Merlinion because the mixture is a heavy gas.”
“So it doesn’t float like helium.”
Sarina spoke. “Correct.”
Doctor Harrison took Kenichi’s hands. “Your body takes in oxygen and helps the blood flow. The oxygen is also carrying the Merlinion throughout your body. So the pain you’re experiencing is coming from the Merlinion itself.”
“Then it’s not oxygen poisoning.”
“It’s still oxygen poisoning, because it is denser due to Merlinion, pay attention.”
“Sorry.”
“You need to undergo breathing exercises to adjust to this atmosphere. You also need to eat native food. Sarina told me you brought Earthworld food correct?”
“Yes.”
“Stop eating that.”
“I love my ramen.”
“They sell that in Kyoto. Go there.” Doctor Harrison released Kenichi’s hands. “The food is laced with Arthurium. Like iron and zinc, it is essential to your body. It’s health properties helps with the cardiovascular system and central nervous system.”
“How so?”
Sarina spoke. “It’s one of the ways we cast spells. Just like fat and calories, Merlinion and Arthurium gives us the energy we need to cast spells.”
“Amazing?” Kenichi looked up at Sarina. “Which means if we cast spells from our bodies, we become tired?”
“Yes.” Sarina nodded. “That’s why we forge Arthurium into staffs and weapons so we can conserve our energy.
“Mr. Yamamura.” Doctor Harrison got his attention. “Merlinion and Arthurium are sources of magic in our world.”
Kenichi eyes widened and he looked at his hands. Then he looked down at his smartphone in his pocket. “Interesting.”
Doctor Harrison spoke. “I will put in the order for inhalers so you poisoning will go down while your body acclimates to our atmosphere. It will take a week. In the meantime, eat our food, drinks lots of water, and walk a lot. No exercising until your inhalers arrive. From the looks of your sweat something tells me you won’t listen.”
“No, no, I won’t exercise for a week.”
“Good.” Doctor Harrison stood up. “So I will see at my office in one week.”
“Yes.” Kenichi shook the doctor’s hands.
***
Emma followed a trail to the top of a hill. The Nirico University of Medicine was in sight from where she stood. The whole city spread out along the ocean shoreline. The people she could see below were like ants. The sun was reaching the Catanga Mountains to end the day. The mountain range looked like hills from where Emma stood.
Emma sat down on the ground and opened the ‘The Alchemides: Arthurium and Merlinion’. She took the brass knuckles out of her pockets. Realizing how close she was to the edge, she slid her body back. “I can’t afford to lose you. Now where do I begin?”
Emma flipped to a chapter titled ‘Sound: The Theories of Spellcasting’. She read the chapter’s first page. “When sound interacts with liquids, solids, and gasses, they develop differing results in vibrations based on the density of the element. Arthurium and Merlinion alone will react to sound like any of the other elements. However, when Arthurium and Merlinion are in mixture with the other elements, the property of sound is altered within. For example, iron mixed with Arthurium increases the speed of sound of its alloy form from fourteen times the speed of sound to eighteen times the speed.”
“The interaction of sound with the Alchemide Elements is limited in scope. A simple howl of the wind would not trigger a magical reaction or the sound of an avalanche. The source of this trigger lies in the vocal chords of mammals. The vocal chords in mammals have a very distinct pitch that creates a reaction with the Alchemide Elements resulting in the creation of a spell. The only mammals so far that are capable of this distinct pitch are primates through the form of language.”
“Very few languages on Teora can crate magic spells. Ever since the end of the Spanish Empire, magical researchers standardized the Spanish language as the universal language of magic. Alurian, the previous language of magic, became a dead language with many of its texts lost to time. What few living languages are capable of activating spells, have been replaced with Spanish.”
“As to how it is that words within the language can actually create the very physical things out of thin air are continued to be controversially debated within the science and magic communities. In this chapter we will cover these theories to break down the possibilities of spellcasting.”
Emma looked at the brass knuckles. “Does sound travel differently through this titanium? It shut down the enchanted sword’s spell.”
She held the metal knuckle up and cast her spell. “Estático!”
The electricity sparked around the metal. It bounced off of it. “Wait a minute.”
She wore the knuckles and held her fist outward. “Estático!”
The electricity sparked around the metal, but it looked displaced. Once it disappeared, she looked closer at it. “Displaced?”
Emma held her fist outward again. “Estático!”
She watched the sparks of electricity bounce around. A closer look revealed a strange wave between the titanium and sparks. She curled her hands into a fist and thought of how Kenichi used it. She positioned into a punching stance her body while keeping her injured arm close to her chest. She pulled her arm back and looked at it. “This has to work.”
Emma threw a punch. “Estático!”
Emma’s fingers felt a vibration from the Brass knuckles as the electricity formed before the metal. She saw the build up of electricity in the air with the gap in between the spell and the Brass knuckles. Her fist moved so has fast that she felt her punch connect with the spell. The electricity spread out like a ripple of water. The sparks disappeared in the air. She pulled her arm back and looked at it with eyes wide open. Her smile grew. “I can’t believe it! This metal is awesome! Eh?”
When Emma stretched her fingers, there was a tingling sensation. She closed her hand back into a fist and struggled to move fingers. It shook like a leaf in the wind. There was no pain, but her muscles were tight. “What happened?”
Emma noticed that the sky turned dark. With all her strength, she stretched her fingers out to grab the book. She placed the book in her sling and followed the path back to the city.
***
Maddox walked down the street. Only the bars were opened now and he was all alone. He was on his back to the hospital to check on Kenichi. Once he reached an intersection, a carriage stopped in front of him. He drew his gun out, but the sound of a click kept him from aiming. The detective looked around. He found himself surrounded by bear men and humans with guns aimed at him. He heard someone inside the carriage call out to him. “Please come inside Detective Maddox.”
With his gun taken away, Maddox sat inside. Across from him was a young man dressed in a highly expensive suit. There was a lapel pin with an image of a bird with talons gripping a hammer and nails. He had blue eyes with well kept long hair bounded into a tail.
“Talon Company?”
“Good.” The young man said as the carriage started moving. Outside, everyone walked alongside the carriage. “My name is Sebastian Reinard. I received word that there is Earthtech in the city.”
“You heard wrong.”
“That little fire at the docks… the interesting stories I learned when a little offer is thrown around. Investments can be costly.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I understand.” Sebastian reached over to case. He opened the case. “You have to insult my intelligence in order to hide your intentions of being here. I assure you that I am not here to interfere with your case. It is, after all, and international incident.”
Maddox stared down Sebastian as he was presented with papers.
“I would like first rights to the Earthtech. That is after your case is closed and all international matters are settle. I assume the Earthworlder will not survive his current condition.”
Maddox’ eyes grew wide. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sebastian waved his finger. “I can see in your eyes the truth of your situation. If the Earthworlder does live, please hand him these papers and let him know that offer is available if he wishes to sell his Earthtech.”
Sebastian laid the paperwork on Maddox’ lap. “Now take this. Present it to Earthworlder and tell the appointment is on the twenty-first, three o’clock in the afternoon.”
Sebastian tapped the side of the door and carriage stopped. The door opened with Maddox still staring down Sebastian. “This is the part where you leave detective.”
Maddox kept his eyes on Sebastian as he disembarked the carriage. The bear man closed the door and handed Maddox his gun. Everyone around him aimed their weapons.
Sebastian leaned over to the window. “Thank you detective. Have a good night.”
As Maddox watched everyone turn the corner, he holstered his gun and slammed the documents to the ground. He walked away in the opposite direction with wind blowing the paperwork away.
To be continued…
