In the heart of the White Comets Guild’s main building, Alister walked down a sleek, polished hallway, his eyes darting to the people passing by in lab robes.
He glanced at Yuuto, who was leading the way with a confident stride. The sounds of machinery and occasional clicks of boots against the metallic floor echoed softly in the background.
Alister furrowed his brow. “Where are we going?”
Yuuto turned his head slightly, his usual grin playing at the corners of his mouth. “We’re heading to the alchemy section of the guild.”
“It’s run by our alchemy team leader, Elise.”
“Wait, there’s a team leader beyond Ren and the others?”
“Yes.”
“You wouldn’t have seen her. Elise is always buried deep in her research. Doesn’t come out much unless it’s urgent. But you’ll meet her today.”
They approached a pair of large, reinforced metal doors at the end of the hall. As they stepped closer, the doors slid open with a hiss, releasing a cloud of cool fog that billowed out into the hallway. Alister instinctively tensed, but Yuuto walked forward without hesitation, beckoning him inside.
As they stepped through the doors, Alister’s eyes widened in awe. The lab was massive, filled with cutting-edge technology and complex alchemical equipment.
Sleek countertops were littered with glass vials of glowing liquids, some bubbling with faint fumes. Above each workstation, green talent windows hovered, displaying complex alchemical formulas in holographic displays, flickering as data constantly updated.
The entire room had a faint greenish hue, a perfect blend of science and magic. Various devices, some mechanical and others entirely magical, hovered in mid-air, each connected by thin streams of energy.
Alister glanced around, marveling at the hovering apparatuses and the faint feel of mana in the air. He had never seen anything like it.
Yuuto gestured to the expanse of the room. “Unlike the other teams in the guild, the alchemy team is made up entirely of alchemists. Every member here is focused on research, development, and creating advanced potions or artifacts to support the guild. Their work is essential, though they tend to stay out of the field.”
Just as Yuuto finished speaking, a woman in a lab coat noticed the guildmaster’s arrival. She hurried over, her hair pinned back in a messy bun, with smudges of some alchemical substance on her gloves. Her expression was bright as she greeted him.
“Guildmaster Yuuto! What brings you down here?”
Yuuto smiled warmly. “Good to see you, Erika. Could you let Elise know I’m here?”
Erika nodded eagerly, but before she could walk away, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted across the lab.
“Elise! The guildmaster’s here!”
From somewhere deep within the lab, a faint voice responded, “What?!”
Erika grimaced slightly but raised her voice again. “I said, the guildmaster is here!” “What?!” the voice responded again, louder this time but still faint from the distance.
Clearly irritated, Erika sighed, narrowing her eyes as she yelled louder, “ELISE, THE GUILDMASTER IS HERE!”
Suddenly, there was a loud BOOM in the distance, followed by the sound of shattering glass. Alister instinctively ducked as shards of glass flew into the air, the lab momentarily engulfed in a cloud of smoke. Yuuto remained unphased as the shards seemed to fly past him, remaining calm as if this were a common occurrence.
Through the smoke, a figure emerged, coughing as she waved away the fumes. A woman with disheveled green and white hair, her goggles cracked, strode forward.
She was in her mid-thirties, wearing a charred lab coat, with a look of irritation and a touch of exasperation on her face.
“Alright, alright! No need to shout!” Elise said, brushing soot off her coat as she approached them.
Yuuto smiled slightly. “Good to see you’re still keeping busy, Elise.”
Elise shot him a wry smile, adjusting her goggles. “Busy’s an understatement, Guildmaster. What brings you down to my part of the guild?”
Alister glanced at her, still taking in the chaotic environment of the alchemy lab. It was clear that here, creativity and chaos went hand in hand.
Just then, Elise adjusted her cracked goggles, her eyes narrowing as she got a good look at Alister. Her brow furrowed in recognition, and she quickly pulled the goggles up to her forehead, a glint of surprise in her eyes.
“Wait a second… I recognize you!” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “You’re Alister from the Wasteland Display event livestream!”
Alister blinked, slightly taken aback. “You watched the livestream?”
“Oh, absolutely!” Elise grinned. “Although I couldn’t watch all of it, I was lucky enough to witness some devastating moments with your dragons in action.”
“They were practically forces of nature out there. I must admit it was pretty cool.”
“Thanks… I guess.”
Elise grinned as she leaned forward. “Besides that… I’ve been dying to ask you something ever since.”
Alister raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Elise leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “Could I get a scale from one of your dragons? I’ve been stuck on this research project for months, and—”
“Uhm.” Yuuto suddenly cleared his throat, interrupting her. “Elise, there are more pressing matters right now than satisfying your own curiosity.”
‘The audacity! To suggest that a piece of our body should be given to help with your… research! How dare she!’ Cinder’s voice echoed in Alister’s head. ‘My lord, surely I can be allowed to incinerate this one?’
‘As I’ve said before, no incineration of guild members,’ Alister replied in his thoughts while keeping a straight face.
Elise’s mouth snapped shut, blinking in confusion as she straightened up, letting out an exasperated sigh.
“What is it, sir?” Elise asked, clearly sensing the change in tone.
“Aiko brought a young girl to you not long ago,” Yuuto said. “You were supposed to slow down the progression of her illness. How is she doing?”
Elise’s eyes widened slightly as she replied, “Ah, yes, the girl Aiko brought in… I’ve been keeping an eye on her condition.” She gestured for them to follow her deeper into the lab.
“Come with me. I’ll show you.”
With that, Yuuto and Alister followed as Elise led them through a maze of workstations and scattered equipment.
As they walked, the air grew cooler, and the flicker of alchemical formulas displayed on green screens became more sparse, replaced by larger machinery and medical tools.
Elise glanced back at Alister, her curiosity barely contained.
“I’ll get back to that dragon scale thing later, by the way,” she said with a wink before turning
her attention back to the task at hand.
Yuuto and Alister exchanged a glance, but neither said a word as they moved deeper into the
lab, following Elise’s steps.
As Elise led them through the alchemical workstations, her eyes darted from station to station, her mind never seeming to leave her work.
“Mina, make sure that batch of Fluxweave Potion doesn’t overheat. You’ve got to keep the flame steady, or we’ll end up with another explosion like last week!”
Elise called out to a young woman working on a bubbling cauldron, her brow glistening with
sweat.
“Yes, ma’am!” Mina replied, immediately adjusting the heat with trembling hands, clearly aware of the consequences if she failed.