An Owl's Rise

Once they had finished looking over the periphery of the second floor of the alchemy hall, Melisandre took Evelyn further in to where a live demonstration was going on.

It was being held by a peak awakened beast with golden and red feathers and it was quite impressive to watch.

Evelyn could see that they were using huge amounts of magical energy and their control was something else.

"What are they making?" Evelyn said to Melisandre without taking her gaze off of the brewing.

"Oh, they are making something quite impeccable indeed. A barrier piercing potion." Melisandre said with an impressed tone.

She went on to explain that this potion was loaded with rare magical plants along with the cores and blood of a number of creatures as well.

"I belive that they even have a human's magic core. That will make it even stronger if it is the right type."

Tilting her head, Evelyn was not really up to speed and asked Melisandre to elaborate. Especially on the subject of the human magic core.

"I suppose you do not know. You must have thought that only other beasts and magical plants are the only useable ingredients. However, human materials are quite useful in the creation of a number of objects." Melisandre said like this was obvious. "And as for what the brew they are making, it helps one overcome the barrier between tiers within a rank. The one they are currently making might be effective to help even a high tier awakened beast breach through to the peak. Though it will not do them any good where they are at now."

'Wow they are making something like that. But wait why do they need it. Can't they just absorb enough magical energy until they reach the next tier?' Evelyn thought with a bit of bewilderment.

Luckily Melisandre was there to explain it to her and told her why it was actually a very impressive and sought-after potion.

"You seem to have some sort of misconception. Just absorbing magical energy is not enough to keep advancing. You will find that out personally how difficult it is to go up the tiers." Melisandre said with a serious tone.

After that she told Evelyn that past the fiend beast rank it took more than just an excess of magical energy to advance, and that certain conditions had to be met.

"If all it took was the accumulation of magical energy everyone would just sit around in the area they could absorb the most and do nothing else."

With this revelation Evelyn realized that she was going to be in for quite the difficult time.

Apparently for more common species of owl their requirements for evolution were already known, but for her, she was going to have to figure them out on her own.

'Not to mention that if there is some hurdle for beasts, I will likely have to overcome something for my human magic core as well.' Evelyn lamented.

While she may have been strong and unique, that only meant that her rise to the top was going to be a much steeper slope than most.

'I will just have to push through somehow. I have made it this far and it is too late to back down now.' Evelyn thought, pumping herself back up.

Both her and Melisandre watched the live brewing to its conclusion, but unlike the last one, this owl ended in failure.

"Well, too bad. It would have been quite something if they had succeeded. And they ended up wasting all of those valuable materials." Melisandre said, though her tone conveyed that she really did not care.

"Let us move on now Evelyn, there is more for us to see, and I think it may almost be time that some of those at the top might nearly be done."

Soon the two of them were going around the second floor again and looking at other interesting stalls.

During this time Evelyn saw a few other owls like herself who were not really strong enough to be on this floor but were following their mentors around like baby ducks.

Eventually they had finished touring the second floor and Melisandre along with Evelyn ducked out of the room and made their way over to where Melisandre's personal lift was.

"Well, now you likely have a better understanding of what actually goes into alchemy. It is a difficult craft to master but can be very rewarding in many ways." Melisandre said with her head held high and a proud expression on her face.

However, while Evelyn had already started down the path of alchemy and taken an interest in it. Melisandre did not actually now this and was just assuming Evelyn was going to go along with her.

"Um Melisandre, what if I do not have an interest in alchemy or the talent for it?" Evelyn asked, curious to see how her mentor would react.

Hearing this Melisandre blinked furiously a few times in confusion, as if she could not understand what Evelyn just said.

To her it was already a forgone conclusion that as her apprentice would go down the path of an alchemist, and it was her powerful flame that would help in this endeavor that made her want Evelyn as her apprentice in the first place.

"What are you saying Evelyn? Certainly, the apprentice of the master of the alchemy hall must learn and excel at alchemy. Anyway, you can take it on my authority that you do have the talent." Melisandre said with a bit of panic in her voice.

She had not even thought about how Evelyn felt, but she could not really force her to become an alchemist.

Under duress no one would be able to brew properly and would ultimately end up as a failure.

For one to succeed they had to have both the talent and drive necessary to walk the path of alchemy.

Though seeing Melisandre's mood start to sour, Evelyn realized that she might have gone too far and quickly moved to mend the situation.

"Well, if you say that I have the talent then I am very interested I cannot wait to learn from you."

Immediately upon hearing this Melisandre perked up, and said, "Yes that is the spirit. I will make you the greatest alchemist in the Roost- no the world."

'I think I might just have done something I will regret.' Evelyn thought seeing how fired up Melisandre was.

When it came to alchemy, she was definitely a bit too fanatic, and Evelyn wondered if she was going to survive whatever her master might put her through.

"Ah yes, someone I really want you to meet is in the last stages of their brewing and is in a stable phase. We can go see them now and you can see what close to the peak of alchemy looks like." Melisandre said with a far-off gaze as if she could see through the ceiling.

"But are there no more floors to check out?" Evelyn asked, wanting to see the entirety of the alchemy hall.

"Well, most of the rest of the floor are just labs and storage areas. Though there is another floor where items are sold, it would be best if you do not set foot there right now. It is only for those that have reach the tyrant beast rank and above and it is not a place for you."