a few anwsers, more questions

Over the next month Alex spent most of his days down in the laboratory with Thorik. Vickary joined them whenever she had time away from her other duties, and what they learn about the corruption process was less informative and more curious.

"We've ruled out any sort of magical responsiveness to the process. So there is nothing magical that can be done to halt or accelerate the process." Thorik was reading his notes.

"Pity," Alex sighed, "A few enchanted rings would be a nice alternative to the trip I'm about to make."

"Aye," Thorik also sighed, "I've never been fond of the gods. And the god of chaos is one I hope to never deal with."

"And there was no response from holy artifacts either."

Thorik read through his notes again, "None. It really does seem like the only thing keeping your body from changing further is your own **** of will."

Alex frowned, "That's not much to go on."

Thorik turned to give a long hard gaze at Demon who was on the opposite side of the room grooming herself. "Perhaps if someone who underwent the full transition cared to explain the details of her experience we might be able to figure something out."

Demon barely paused long enough to give a reply, and didn't even look in the direction of the discussion. "I didn't bother to pay attention, it crept over me and I didn't try to stop it. What's there to learn? I wasn't interested enough to pay attention."

Alex knew Demon better than that, she was fascinated by everything about the demon experience, she simply didn't want to share her knowledge, quite typical of the sphinx she once was. Since a direct question wasn't working Alex changed the tactic, "Any part of the experience you couldn't ignore?"

That made Demon pause legitimately in thought, "The power was intoxicating. Each day I felt stronger, more confidant, unstoppable. It drowned out logic and reason, I was more spontaneous and less restrained. The more I used it the more addicting it became, until the process was complete and then it somewhat mellowed out." Demon fixed her gaze on Alex, "You master have a level of self-control that I did not."

Thorik was writing notes based on her reveal, "So it might be the use of the demonic powers themselves that might be required to cause the corruption process, but why only corrupt your hands?"

"My hands and my eyes don't forget."

"You mentioned that those changed immediately after your possession. And we looked at them. Your eyes are those of a pure demon, but none of the flesh around them, not even the bone in your skull, shows any corruption."

"And the hallucinations?"

"We can assume that is the corruption trying to take root in your mind, starting with the part that processes what your eyes see."

"That might be why madness is one of the first onsets of demonification." Alex thought, "If you cannot trust your senses I imagine that you would go mad trying to separate what is there from what isn't."

Thorik nodded, "You're ears are untouched, which we figure is why your hallucinations are only visual." The journal with all his notes was put down with a long slow tired sigh, "However we're no closer to understanding what demon energies are, or how they work, and thus we do not know even why they work."

Alex also felt tired from all the thinking he'd been doing over the last few weeks, "They work because they work. I can used them to empower things I already know how to do, but using them on something I don't know has been haphazard at best."

Thorik closed his eyes and shuttered in memory, "When you opened that third eye in the air that was frightening."

Alex chuckled, "It was very disorienting too. Although potentially useful with practice."

Thorik shuttered again, "I don't care if it saw the future, I wouldn't want one."

"I was trying to see your thoughts, not your future actions. Demonic abilities seem really chaotic if you're trying something new with them."

"They're disturbing is what they are." Thorik sighed again, "But chaotic yes...perhaps the god of chaos would know a thing or two. Although he might not share anything just to watch you struggle."

Alex stood up, "That would be better than some of the other ways he might respond. You never know what to expect from the god of chaos."

"Out of curiosity," Thorik pushed his journal aside, "What's the avatar like? I've heard stories, but I never want to meet him and find out myself."

Alex scratched his beard in thought, "Well, he's unearthly beautiful, even for an elf he is stunning. I heard someone say that he used to be very close to the moon goddess herself, but changed allegiance several ages ago. He's also very calculating, I cannot imagine that the god of chaos is erratic and have an avatar so methodical. Despite their level of power, being a damned deity and avatar, I think that they are most dangerous because they change the tapestry of fate without upsetting the three divines of fate. And I think that's probably what they really do for fun."

The dwarf shuttered, "That's some seriously risky sense of fun."

Alex shrugged, "The avatar would probably shake the left hand of Fortisa just for the experience."

"That might ruin her left hand."

"Who knows. We don't even use the name of the god of chaos because it's proven that if you say his name he does in fact hear you."

"Yes. He's the reason the dwarfs acknowledge the gods at all. Hard to say the gods don't exist when one will show up just to prove they do."

Both men sat in silence for a minute.

Thorik broke the silence, "You're really going there aren't you."

Alex nodded, "I don't want to speak to the god of chaos without his avatar present. So I have to go to his temple, in his city."

Thorik left his seat and extended his hand, "As sad as I am to see you take that risk. It's been a real pleasure working with you."

Alex shook the offered hand, "It was interesting for me too."

Alex turned to Demon, "Come on Demon, lets get packed for our trip."

Demon left her spot on the table and followed Alex up the levels of the guild to their room.

(A copper for your thoughts?) Demon asked on the way up.

(I was just wishing that staying the month had been more productive.)

(A piece of advice. Sometimes learning what something isn't is more valuable than learning what something is.)

Alex didn't hide is confusion, (How does that make any sense.)

(Because, not everything is what it seems when you think you know what something is. However proving what something isn't, or cannot be, is solid evidence that it is something that it will never be.)