Inventing is hard (Alchemy/research)

[Endrin]

He had to wonder how many people still used the old crafting system from when this was a game. Word was already ripping through London, and one would assume the other cities as well, about the discovery of how to make food with flavor. It wasn't long until other crafts started reporting in that discoveries were being made outside of cooking as well. People were jumping on the invention bandwagon hoping to find the next big thing and rake in the gold. He was no exception to that mindset.

However, where a lot of people were trying to replicate real world technology in the form of lamps and flashlights he was thinking on a smaller scale. The finished products were great, if in need of improvement. They even made him think of home, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw a lamp or flashlight for sale. It kept them remembering that there was a world outside of this one, a world they would hopefully return to some day. But that was out of his hands, what he could do was work on thriving in this world.

"Bet my folks would flip if they could see me now, being all motivated and self starting." He said chuckling to himself. Fact was his parents would probably just be happy something was motivating him. Perhaps this whole thing was good for him.

The biggest problem he saw with the invention process right now was that everyone was using the same basic ingredients. It could be because everyone was low level, but it could also be that they lacked imagination. But at the end of the day there was only so much you could make with filaments, doodads, and mana fragments. But what if there was more they could use? Other crafting classes had things they could probably use sure. But Alchemists already made one of their main ingredients!

The mana fragments!

What if there were more types of fragments that Alchemists could make? Every Alchemist can make these with almost no effort. As a result they were weak and fragile with very little energy output. His theory was that the fragments reflected the energy and effort that went into it. However he was not discounting technique having something to do with it either.

Mana fragments were unique in that they had no ingredient to make other than the energy of the Alchemist. He simply closed his palm and focused on energy flowing into his palm and solidifying which made the fragments. But once they were made even a simple touch would cause them to melt and be spent. So handling them with care was paramount, least you waste your effort and money on a moment of carelessness.

Closing his hands together, wishing to channel energy from both palms into his attempted creation he closed his eyes and focused. Just like every low level Alchemist was used to doing. Focusing on the energy flow within his own body into his palms. Both palms connecting and energy flowing through them as was normal for making mana fragments. He was hopeful that doubling the energy like that would have an effect. Opening his palms when the process was complete the fragments fell onto the small wooden table he was sitting in front of.

"They look the same."

He said as he leaned in peering at the small little fragments. He didn't know if that was normal or not. The problem with inventing new things was that there were no guides to follow. If anything he was going to have to write the guide on this process if it worked. Only one way to know though! Slowly he reached forward with a single finger, keeping his eyes level with the table not wanting to miss a thing. His finger gently brushed against the crystal, which melted against his skin. Each crystal in the batch followed suit, just like any other crystal. He let out a sigh.

"So much for my first attempt being ground breaking."

Though that may have been a bit high of an expectation. Reaching over to the small not pad he had on the table he would proceed to jot down his attempt and the results of it. He wanted to save the data in case the theory wasn't wrong but his level was to low. He just didn't know enough to guess what may work or not, and why it failed or didn't. So it was just trial and error, but it would suck to have a great idea and forget it because you happened to be too low of a level or something when you tried. He knew that much!

(780 words)

[Endrin]

Okay, so putting his hands together and channeling the energy together didn't work out. At least not with his first attempt. That didn't mean that this was a lost cause. It just meant that he might need to try it another way. But how to proceed? Perhaps it wasn't about the amount of energy that was used in the fragment's creation but more about the method? Perhaps he had gone too fast in his initial attempt and he needed to slow himself down. It was possible that alchemists had been just seeing it as an easy recipe and were rushing the process which lead to shoddy and unstable results. But if it was all just a matter of timing what kind of implications would that have on other crafts? Or even higher level crafts for alchemy? Sure cooking had to be careful to not burn stuff, but was it really the same for Alchemists? It was a very different process to put part of your life energy into a physical form than it was to bake a batch of cookies. At least in his mind they seemed to be in just very different leagues.



Once more he closed his eyes, and only his right palm this time. Picturing his energy flowing out from his chest and core through his arms to his palm. Letting his breathing come and go slowly and deeply. Allowing his body to relax as he let the energy flow to his hand almost naturally, which he supposed it was in this world. Where normally the process would take several seconds he let it go on for several minutes. Just allowing the energy time to soak in his hand before forming into the crystals. Or at least that was his hope.



Once he felt enough time had passed he released his hand as normal and let the fragments fall back onto the table. Examining them closely again. Did they look any different? Maybe? They might be a little smoother looking now. Though it was kind of hard to say what that meant though. It could just be a cosmetic change because he wanted them to look different now. After all other crafts could change how their crafts looked for cosmetics. So it didn't necessarily mean much, but it was worth noting for completeness sake.



Once more he needed to subject them to the touch test. It was the quickest way to tell if there was any real change in his mind. Especially since he didn't have a contraption like a flashlight to see if the length of time that the charge last was affected by his different methods. An oversight now that he thought of it. But he didn't have the materials or the money to make or purchase one of his own. So he would have to just make due with what he had. Touching the crystals he once more saw them immediately melt under his touch and his face fell. Another failed attempt from the looks of things. But the slight change in appearance was encouraging. Even if he was just subconsciously altering the physical appearance of his fragments like a smith might add an emblem onto an armor. It was still a first for him, and that alone was progress. He would just have to record his observations in his notes for future reference. In case he ever needed to refer back to them at a later date.



Thankfully he wasn't out of ideas just yet. There were a few more things that he thought he could try. And even if nothing ended up working today he could always go back to it when he had more experience and knowledge. Failure was not the end of the world, just another opportunity to learn.

(629 words)

[Endrin]

Two attempts had ended in failure. But he was close to something, he could feel it in his gut. The third time was a charm as they said, and he wasn't ready to give up on this yet. There was a niche out there with his name on it and he was going to find it. New Ingredients would open doors to even more new discoveries, and hopefully the ability to perfect recipes that were already discovered. The world was opening up to them more and more each day as what seemed impossible became possible. There was so much to discover in this world that there was no telling what the limits could be. And as an Alchemist he was poised more than most to take advantage of that, and to explore what can be done. His crafts used magic and mana and thus could defy the physics of the real world. Making maps or food were all wonderful, but they had realistic limits. But what limits did a fusion of magic and technology have? He didn't know, and he didn't think anyone did. And it was exciting. He was convinced that it was possible to make a better and more efficient mana fragment, it was just a matter of figuring out the how.



The amount of energy had not done it. And neither had slowing down the crafting process. He didn't suppose speeding it up any would do any good either. Not with the issue being it's instability and weak power output. He couldn't imagine rushing the job even further yielding better results. Which meant to him that the problem lay with the technique used to create the fragments in the first place. It was sloppy and effortless. Like a blacksmith pounding on some metal until it was flat and calling it a weapon. That's what alchemists were doing with their fragments. They were not refining them. Perhaps that was the problem? There was no finesse to the craft, they just willed it and it happened. Even the name itself hinted at that. Fragments, like it was just broken off of something. Chipped away like ice from a block, melting with but a touch.



"Alright End, we got this."



Rolling his shoulders back and extending both arms as he laced his fingers together, he pushed against his hands to crack his knuckles before tilting his head rapidly to both sides to crack his neck. Shaking his arms out to limber up and psych himself up. He needed to be in the zone for this. He could feel it! Taking a slow and deep breath he closed his eyes and closed his right hand again. He was going to work on the technique. Maybe when he was forming the energy in his hand he could form a shell around it that would protect the fragment and stabilize and strengthen it.
 He pictured the energy flowing from his body into his palm as was normal, but he tried to imagine the energy in his palm circling and forming a shell around the fragments that he was forming.  Imagining layer after layer of energy coating the craft to protect it from outside influence and stabilize it.  Like a natural containment chamber.

Please work.

And with that moment of concentration lost, the synth failed.  The energy shattered in his hand and he felt a jarring sensation, his hand releasing it's grip as he stumbled back from the table.  Looking at his empty palm he sighed.  A mistake on his part.  He couldn't let himself get distracted apparently or he was just going to fail on the synth.  And the worst part was since it was a failed attempt because he lost focus he couldn't even write down any information about why it may have failed.  There was nothing to do but try it again.

(641 words)

[Endrin]

"Ugh!  So close!  I was so close I could feel it.  Oh well.  Here is to my first failed synth I suppose."

He said with a laugh.  The actual result of failing the synth itself broke some of the tension that he was feeling as he tried to do this.  Failing it like that though gave him a gentle reminder that this was still just a game.  Everyone else might be flipping out about trying to discover things, or leveling up, or even worried about the people who decide that PKing is the way to go.  But it was still the game world, they couldn't die for real.  Besides, his idea was good.  It would work out.  And if it didn't then he would figure something else out.  He didn't know why he was stressing over it.  He had just gotten caught up in the moment, and that was probably why he had failed just now.  He just needed to relax and let it happen.  It would work if it was going to and it would fail if it wasn't.  And that realization caused a huge weight to lift off his shoulders as he breathed a sigh of relief.  

Taking another relaxing breath he closed his right palm and began to focus the energy inside of him like he normally did while making mana fragments.  Letting the process nearly reach completion before he began to try and do his alterations.  Allowing the energy flowing through his body to wrap around the forming fragments in a protective shell.  Imagining the shell hardening and allowing the energy inside of the fragments to stabilize.  He tried to not rush to process and to keep his mind neutrally blank and free from stress over the attempt.  Not fighting intrusive thoughts, but instead just thinking about the task at hand. 

With the energy forming in your hand try to flow it around the shards.  Do not force it, rather try to guide it like the brook guides water.  You are using your own energy to create this, see if it will follow your will and guidance.  Don't rush things, let it just flow out from your body.  You don't force normal fragments, do not let your desire to create something new cloud the process.  Be calm and let your energy be calm.  Do not let your craftsmanship reflect your nerves and you will be fine.  It's okay to fail, nothing stops you from trying again in the future.  We got this.

When the synth was finished and he opened his hand the fragments fell down onto the table.  Them seemed to look smoother to him.  And he had a really good feeling about it.  But if nothing else he realized it was good practice.  The absolute worst case scenario is that he would just have some normal mana fragments to use later while he tried to level up.  He didn't need to worry about losing materials here or looking stupid.  The beauty of these discoveries was that everyone was learning.  And success was the result of countless failed attempts.  All that was left was to reach down and touch one and see if anything was different.

(531 words)