ximilia | video | un: s.wilson

[ Is there anything better than hanging back in the sunshine room? Paint a picture of golden sun on warm, dark skin, of tranquil surroundings, a man reclining against the trunk of a tree with a small stream gurgling in the background, of something truly soothing to behold... or notice the fact that Sam Wilson is wearing a leather jacket that distinctly, a hundred percent has only ever been soon on one Bucky Barnes before. If one of them is gonna be a filthy clothes thief, the other is gonna follow suit, it seems.

No, they're not clothes sharing. This is goddamn war. It is a nice jacket, though, and hey, Sam can appreciate the double victory of looking fine as hell and aggravating Bucky. ]

Hey guys. Sam, for those with whom I haven't had the pleasure yet. Got a treat for you.

[ No, it's not his very fine self, thank you very much. Sam holds up a very distinct golden amulet. ]

Managed to snatch this off Lord Suk-ju all the way back in Gyeongje, when the asshole tried to escape. Some of you were around for that. For those who are unaware: This shit's magic. Protects from physical and magical harm, pretty damn completely. All you gotta do is hold it. Got about a week's worth of daily confrontation stored in it before the magic shrugs and abandons you to get punched in the face.

Full credit for the side hustle goes to Ed, Sabriel, Syrlya, Zelda and Eliot. I ain't magic, so I'm really just the eye-candy on this operation. Thanks to our resident magically inclined talent, we figured out that the magic on the original amulet can be... I guess replicated? Not copied. And not to just on any object - needs to be from Gyeongje specifically. Thankfully, Ed's got a cheat code for that and can make copies of the base amulet, provided we got enough gold to work with, and those copies can be enchanted as if they were from Gyeongje. Pretty nifty. And that means... ta-da.

[ Sam holds up 5 other amulets. They look almost identical to the first, but he keeps them on what looks a keychain, separate from the original so as not to mix them up. ]

We've been kinda running a knock-off magic amulet production line here. Now, couple things - and I'm just gonna bullshit to the best of my understanding here, I'm sure our resident sorcerers of various persuasions will chime in with more technical explanations if needed. As I said, I'm the eye-candy and one of the test dummys of this operation, not the brains.

These knock off amulets are less efficient than the original unless you're the person who did the enchantment. Meaning for the rest of you, they will block some physical and magical attacks, but not all. The stronger the attack, the higher the chance it goes through. [ That was a fun round of testing to find out. ] Protection operates at about 50 to 70% efficiency compared to the original, best as we can tell, and depletes faster. We had enough raw material and enough people to make 5 of these knock offs. Current plan is to hand the amulets out before missions. Team and I agreed to prioritize civilians and non-combatants who could use the extra protection because they don't got powers, gear or other enhancements to work with.

Let me know if you feel you could use these. Between the original and the copies, we can outfit six people for now. We need them back after missions, otherwise they can't get re-enchanted and we can't make more copies.

[ Sam's spinning one of the amulets around his finger. The gold glints brightly in the fake sunlight. ]

If you're a sorcerer and interested in helping make more of these in the future, ring us up. And if you're in a position to get some gold - bars, coins, in the form of jewellery, whatever, either on missions or through requests from your home worlds - please consider forwarding that to us. We can only make more of these if we get our hands on more raw material.

Thanks for your time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I see. So it's usual for others to have to, ah... for lack of a better word, "code" what it is they wish to accomplish with alchemy through the use of a transmutation circle?

[ He seems genuinely interested in what Edward is telling him, speaking with rapt fascination about this new science. ]

I can see why it would be useful in many applications, from medicine to industry and the sciences. Is it something that's possible to learn, or is there some inborn trait necessary to be an alchemist?

Yeah. They draw the circle and write the formula, usually with chalk on the ground. I'm just quicker, doing it in my head, with my hands instead. Kind of a prodigy.

[Because of his mistakes. But also even before that. Given what he did pull off, even in the attempt. Roy wasn't wrong when he said he'd heard of an impressive alchemist in the area of Resembool. Even at Ed's young age back then.]

As far as learning, well. Back home, everyone has the potential, but not everyone is keen on that. It's a lot of studying. Years.

Some of us simply have natural skill in a given field. Well done.

[ It's meant genuinely and entirely with kindness and appreciation for Ed's apparent skill. He doesn't yet know the horrible truth, after all. ]

I have nothing but time here. Would you be willing to teach me the basics? Assuming a Cybertronian can even learn such a thing.

Teach you? I'm.....not sure whether that'd be possible or not. I mean, at the very least I could teach you the theory but.

[Do er -- Cybertronians have a Gate? Ed has no idea. So he is actually not sure if he can teach the other alchemy. Whether the other has the ability to transmute or not. In not being human at all, let alone not being from his native world of Amestris and Xing and all.]

I dunno if anyone not from my world can transmute or not.

The theory will be enough. I doubt I have the ability to actually perform it, but learning new things is always worthwhile.

[ Megatron actually smiles a little when he says that. ]

I would be grateful for the opportunity.

Then, sure. I can at least teach the theory, the basics so you understand it. I just didn't want to get anyone's hopes up that they can do what I can. I've studied for years and am kind of a natural at it.

[Not surprising, given his father's situation. Not that Ed is aware of all that. But he does give a nod, seeming relieved Megatron seems to have just a curiosity about it. That he is aware he might not be able to do this himself in practice but at least be able to learn the theory, the science behind it.]

It's a lot of chemistry in learning what things are comprised of, in what amounts. Then comparing that to other stuff you might want to transmute with the same materials. A lot of analysis and maths, really.

Of course. I understand completely, but it seems like a diverting way to fill some of my time. And I'm always happy to learn something new.

[ Megatron gives a nod. ]

I familiar with mathematics, though less well-versed in chemistry. I was a miner, then a poet and a writer before the war.

That's okay. I can teach you the chemistry. Can probably ask Viveca for some books if there aren't some basic Alchemy texts here at least. But -- huh. Going from mining to poetry and writing is quite a change. I guess I haven't really thought about it. What I want to do after.

[After he gets Al's body back. He's been so focused on that. For years now. He hasn't had the chance, hasn't let himself consider once it is actually done. What he might want to do then.]

We've had a few wars back home. I know being in the military I could be called up to fight. I just -- needed access to their research. To help my brother is all.

Your brother?

[ Right, that's a thing humans have. ]

What happened, if I might ask? Feel free to decline to answer.

video | un: s.wilson

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