The laboratory was enormous.
Far larger than Katherine had expected.
Several long worktables occupied the room, covered in books, scrolls, and strange apparatus she couldn't immediately identify.
Glass containers filled with brightly coloured liquids bubbled quietly in one corner.
In another, silver instruments floated several inches above a table, suspended by magic circles etched into the wood.
The temperature varied throughout the laboratory.
One section felt almost uncomfortably warm, heated by glowing heat stones embedded into the walls.
Another was noticeably colder, where frost clung to metal containers preserving delicate ingredients.
Shelves lined the room from floor to ceiling.
Some held books.
Others held jars containing monster parts, rare herbs, crystals, and substances Katherine couldn't identify.
What drew her attention most, however, were the symbols covering the walls. Complex magical formations stretched across the stone like an intricate web. Some glowed faintly. Others appeared dormant.
"Protective barriers" Aurora looked delighted. She hurried over to one of the walls. "I had them installed after the third explosion."
Katherine blinked. "The third?"
Aurora coughed. "The exact number isn't important. The barriers reinforce the room, contain magical backlash, stabilize temperature fluctuations, and prevent accidental structural damage." She paused. Then she added proudly, "So now the laboratory only explodes on the inside."
Silence.
"Should we be worried?" Ker asked, narrowing her eyes at the bubbling liquids that now looked very explosive.
Aurora handed Katherine a lab-coat that had the same symbols as the ones on the wall, "We won't be doing anything dangerous today, but we can never be too careful." She said, putting one on herself.
Katherine put it on, and let Aurora lead her to a worktable that had open books and scrolls. "I'm guessing these are the theories she talked about in the letter." Ker commented, eying the scrolls.
"There are a lot of theories on body enhancement but the closest anyone has gotten is energy boost." Aurora said, passing Katherine an open book. "This mage was trying to permanently enhance the body's capabilities with magic stones..." She continued, "But all he managed to do, was give the body an energy boost that allowed the body speed." She flipped the page to where there were illustrations drawn showing the flow of mana from the stone to the body.
Katherine stared at the illustration for a long while, "What type of magic stones were used?"
Aurora flipped through several pages. "A Wind Stone."
Katherine looked up.
Aurora immediately launched into an explanation. "Most mana stones fall into elemental categories." She reached for a nearby shelf and returned with several stones.
One glowed faintly red. Another carried a deep green colour. The third shimmered pale blue. The last was almost translucent.
"Fire Stones." She pointed at the red one. "Earth Stones." The green. "Water Stones." The blue. "And Wind Stones." The translucent crystal.
"They're the most common stones harvested from magical beasts. These are found in most low to mid-level beasts."
Katherine examined them silently.
Aurora continued. "Fire Stones are usually used where raw power or heat is needed." She pointed toward the heated section of the laboratory. "Earth Stones are valued for durability and reinforcement." A tap on one of the support pillars. "Water Stones are often used by healers and alchemists." Finally, she lifted the Wind Stone. "And Wind Stones are favoured for speed, movement, and agility."
Katherine stared at the illustrations again. "You said this mage managed to give the body speed but only for a moment, right?" Aurora frowned, "Yeah, why."
"You see here?" Katherine pointed at the part on the illustration that shows the flow of mana through the body. "Using a wind stone gives speed to the body, but that's all it does."
She then reached for a scroll that showed illustration of the flow of mana from a magic stone to an arrow. "Looking at this illustration, I can tell that speed was also added to the arrow." Aurora studied the illustration, "Yes, but the speed on this arrow was permanent."
Katherine put both illustrations side by side, "Do you see what's wrong with this theory?" Aurora looked at Katherine confused. 'Was there something wrong with the theory?' She wondered, turning her gaze back to the pages.
"No, I don't see anything wrong with it." She admitted after pondering for a while.
"The problem is, it's the exact same theory." Katherine explained, confusing Aurora even more. "You can't have the exact same theory for a weapon and a body." She continued, "The speed on the human body wasn't permanent because the body couldn't keep up with the sudden speed. Unlike a lifeless weapon, the body is an entire system.
She reached for a scroll that had the body anatomy, "If you increase strength but not durability, muscles tear." she pointed. "If you increase speed but not reaction time, the body can't keep up. If you increase durability but not circulation, the body becomes sluggish. If you increase everything but don't improve mana flow, the enhancement collapses."
Aurora looked at her, awestruck. Then she looked back at the diagrams. Then at the wind stone. Then back at the diagrams again. Suddenly, she snatched a quill. "No wonder it failed."
Katherine remained silent.
Aurora rapidly scribbled across a sheet of paper. "No wonder every enhancement collapsed." More frantic writing. "We've been trying to enhance one aspect of the body at a time." Her eyes widened. "As though the body was a weapon."
Katherine nodded.
Then Aurora frowned, "Now we have a new problem..." Katherine stared at her confused. "A new problem?" Aurora nodded, writing something down, "We can't just add a bunch of magic stones to a human body. It would explode."
Katherine nodded. "So, we'd need to know the correct balance."
Aurora's quill froze. "And in order to determine that balance..." Silence settled over the laboratory. "We would need a human test subject."