Ingenious... Innovation... Insanity

[CharacterInWhite]

Introduction

Aljd leaned over the dry tome, scribbling down his thoughts and findings - if that's what they could be called, in Draconic.

But... what did he find?

He found a curious mind. No... he found two. Lauan, a well established Knight of the Enclave. Yet she was... interesting. Subtle signs that could barely be picked up on, silent clues that suggested something greater than the tower of muscle that she was. The hesitation, the way she spoke his name... all tiny, barely detectable clues.

Yet there was Zackan. Undisciplined, willful, simple. He could be so much more, he could be given an application to his brute strength, if only he had guidance.

Were they so predictable? Was there more to it?

He stared across the table, over at the cat lazily lounging on top of several papers. On the parchment was written several alchemical formulae. Noticing his focus had shifted, the cat spoke up.

"If you really want to understand how a human mind works, shouldn't you start with a fresh slate?" He said in his betrayingly deep voice.

"Yes, yes. I could. Yet I get the feeling that there lies work unfinished, somewhere."

"The potter does not try to create works of art from a piece of clay already moulded. He forms it from an unorganized blob, a rubbery, wet piece of slime that is crafted into something he envisions."

How easily could he manipulate someone? That was his question. That was his thesis - his reason for research. Given two variables, and a certain condition, a predictable outcome would be produced. Does the same principle apply to sentience? He wondered. Perhaps if he had the opportunity to experiment. If he could master the sentient mind, socially engineer his way through anything, than the simplistic maze of mathematics that wizardry had become would be easy. It was the myriad of variations that intelligence produced that lured him to his work. The impossibility of predicting the seemingly random patterns that ocurred in the intelligent mind.

He would find out more.

[CharacterInWhite]

Chapter One: What is Two?

Aljd systematically swirled his cup of ale, sitting with Lauan a small distance away from the bar. The Thayan Knight opposite of him promptly ripped off the cork barring her from her Dragon's Breath with her teeth, exposing Aljd to the overpowering scent of alcohol. She poured it into a glass with several ice cubes. Aljd appreciated the irony of Lauan's tendency.

He looked to his left where Jastilus sat. The cat looked at him - and to Lauan's perspective - meowed. But in reality he was trying to advise Aljd.

"You really think it wise to confide in her?"

Aljd didn't respond, simply fixing his spectacles and continuing his conversation. The Knight was an excellent listener. She always asked questions, always challenged his thought process. She was... refreshing from the simple idiots he previously tried to sway.

"Tell me, Lauan. Do you know what connects all science?"

"No, I do not." She replied, staring at Aljd. She took another swig from her Dragon's Breath and stifled a small belch.

"Patterns,"

Lauan simply stared at him, waiting a short moment in silence.

"In Alchemy, you are given two - sometimes more, variables. Those form together to create a predictable outcome," Aljd began, pausing slightly to sip from his ale. "In cooking, one can surmise that boiling meat for various quantities of time will produce a different outcome. But there is one thing that connects the two: The ability to tell ahead of time what is going to happen."

"And that is science?"

"That's all science is: patterns."

"You never told me about this epiphany of your research," She notes, reminding him of what he said earlier. He recalled calling Lauan the perfect pallete of comparison. Pyras' rigorous conditioning would have changed her, and he thought that would make a lovely basis to compare with.

"The science of the mind… allow me to elaborate. If... if it is possible to create an equation to predict the outcome of two chemical combinations, who is to say this can't be done with an intelligent psyche?

Given the exact same set of variables, with the exact same execution and experiences, two individuals separated at birth would, in theory, be exactly the same. But. They. Aren't. Why?"

"I don't know," Lauan said, not grasping the concept.

"Neither do we!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air and catching the attention of nearby commoners. "That is my thesis; my research. What is the missing variable? Can it be tracked? Can it be predicted?"

I paused for a moment, letting it all sink in. We both drank from our respective drinks.

"If X and Y come together to form XY, why shouldn't the same apply to an intelligent mind? There has to be a third factor. There has to be Factor Z."

"And how exactly are you going to find Factor Z?"

“By replicating one variable at a time. If we can find two individuals, just two with X and Y, we can see what is different about them which creates the opposite variable. Then we can eliminate X and Y in the equation, and am left with Z.

Think of it this way: If 2x is four, then what is X?”

“Two, obviously.”

“And if xy is equal to six, what is y?”

“Three… and six is Z.”

I snapped my fingers. “Exactly! As long as one factor creates one outcome, as long as the same factor is used in combination with the others and remains consistent, then that outcome is Z.”

She raised an eyebrow, raising her Dragon’s Breath again. “Using this formula you intend to find out what makes a human mind… a human mind?”

“That’s the basics of it.” I said, sipping from my own ale.\

“If six is Z, Y is three and X is two… then what would two be?”

I grinned. Pyras had done a better job than I realized. This was an extremely insightful remark that I did not expect from her, of all people.

“That’s the trick, isn’t it.” I asked, rhetorically. “What is two?”

At this I raised my cup, toasted to her, drained the rest in one gulp and slammed it down on the table.