The twilight hybrid continued his observations of both the professor before him, and the experimentation process as the man before him took the powder, preparing a series of glass vials as well as wooden sticks. Noth assumed that the sticks would probably be used for stirring in the same manner that people sometimes stirred their drinks to ensure that they were properly blended before partaking of them, and the glass vials were quite clearly containers capable of holding the powder and any other chemical concoctions without removing proper vision from the professor. The first and second vials were filled with some of the alchemical reagents that the scientist had brought along with him, but Noth noted that the final vial was left otherwise untouched. Perhaps he only needed two?
It seemed that the fears the hybrid had that the professor would use too much of the powder for it to e usable in any other circumstance were unwarranted, because in truth he barely used any of it at all. There were several ounces of the strange powder; perhaps even a pound of it, though he had never properly weighed it, but it seemed unlikely that the professor in his wisdom had even taken a single ounce of the powder, choosing instead to simply add a few grains of the oddity to the vials. Crimson eyes watched with blatant curiosity as the powder was placed into the first vial, and the substance within seemingly vanished into the ether, gone away as though it had never existed, or else as if it were as mercurial and erratic as the wind. It would be a lie to say that his eyes did not arch in surprise at the sudden change, though he regained his composure moments later so as not to alert the professor to his true emotion on the subject.
For an instant, Noth wondered whether or not the professor had heard his question, or simply decided to disregard it in favor of performing his work, but then the vocalization came forth from the man’s throat, and he glanced upwards as if to examine him with the same eyes with which he had observed the vials only a bit or so prior. The name was one immediately familiar to him, because it was one which had been talked about with some awe by many throughout the city. The Avriel could not suppress the slight grin that crossed his face at the thought of holding a conversation with the Hero of Oscillus. It was true that he tried his hardest not to become too closely entrapped in the politics or the national prestige of the city; though he did recognize that eventually it would be required of him if he wanted to take it from the grip of Pahrn and his minions, but even he could appreciate the work of someone who had decided to knife an Immortal through the back, and despite the rather underhanded connotations behind the act, it was altogether not a terrible strategy to exploit.
The hybrid did not speak on the subject further, not wanting to bother the renowned professor too greatly with his speech, and recognizing also that they were both simply men of similar cause, nothing more, nothing less. Nevertheless, a scheme softly spoke itself into existence within his mind, and his blood-colored eyes found the third vial, analyzing it for a few moments for any discerning marks as to where it had come from, or from whence it been delivered. Rather frustratingly, he found nothing immediately telling of the vials, but that was not to say that they were not being provided by some unknown benefactor… or perhaps even a well-known one.
The professor identified the nature of the powder to him, stating that it was an alchemical neutralizer. Whilst Noth could not entirely comprehend what that meant, he did understand enough to realize that the powder was eliminating other substances, and preventing them from achieving their own chemical reactions.
“Ah. So that is its nature, to cause other things to become nothing in its presence? Do you know of what it is then?” The hybrid was neither prideful nor naïve enough to believe that he had the only sample of the powder in all of Idalos, and that meant that it had no doubt been named by someone else at some point. Having the name of his newest tool would be quite useful for doing any further research on it, and he did not doubt that the Hero was well-versed in such matters.
The twilight hybrid shifted the weight of his feet, feeling his talons dig slightly against the wooden paneling beneath as he responded to the professor’s question,
“In honesty, I know only that it came from a dark place underground, it came with a bag and…” He thought back to the first time he had opened the bag, the first time he had gazed upon his own skull sealed and wrapped in a nice package for him to unravel, and it made him visibly shudder, unconsciously tearing at the wood with his talons as he recalled it. “I am unsure whether I could truly retrieve more of it… but I am under the impression it is somewhat beyond the comprehension of mundane things. You mentioned a potion. Could this powder be distilled into something more solid?"