Scene F - Aristotle's Hoard

Kai, Cedric, Aurora and Troy approach the great tower of Aristotle. It sits upon the center of a great lake, a massive walkway just atop the water level connects it to the shore. The door is similarly massive, with a smaller door laid into the center. The whole of the outside architecture is silver with a sapphire filigree.

Aurora bolts over to the doors and opens the smaller one. "Come on in. You can wait in the main chamber while I find daddy," she says. Then she heads inside the great library she grew up in.

The doors open to a beautiful marble spire. Rows and rows of bookshelves are laid out radially along the center - a great pool of water behind what looks like a round glass wall.

"Oh, he must be in his chambers," Aurora mutters. She goes over to the ice wall and grabs it, tapping into her natural dragon sorcery to temporarily open a hole in it large enough for her to fit through. Then she swims down through the pool to greet her father.

Kai and Troy walk over to the ice wall as Aurora dissapears from sight. Kai taps his fingers against the ice. "Brilliant..." he says, looking around.

Aurora glides down the pool past a few more public floors, then she swims down under the floor of the lake. The pillar falls down into an underground lake, the walls still lined with marble, bookshelves and walkways - 2 levels of shelves and walkways. The water glows to give off light, as wells as diamonds and sapphires that line the walls. After a ways, the lower walkway covers over the water as the room opens up even more. There, Aristotle stands over a magical circle, purple lightning bouncing off of it an an elvish blade floating above its center.

Aurora touches down and keeps her distance from her father's circle. She watches him work for a bit, but quickly loses patience. "Hi, daddy! What are you working on today?"

"Well, the High Lord Elminster requested this blade in return for an original manuscript of one of Hephaestus's engineering texts," he glances at his daughter, "What are doing back so soon?"

"My my, the end of the world? The world is larger than it was long, long ago, even I know little of it. I shall not see you for a long time..." He looks pensive for a time, then turns back to Aurora. "Polymorphism is a tricky subject. Significant transformation of body composition is difficult. Your understanding of teleportation should give you an edge, but designing a form to take and translating the details to Arcana are quite involved and require more than simple memorization. I can, at the very least, lend you some books on it. Stick around this evening and I can design you a signet, however, we can discuss a for you. I'd like to spend some time with you before a journey of this magnitude. Of course, I'll need to see if these two are a worthy pair for your company."

On the upper floors, an arch appears in the ice wall, and the surface of the pool just by it freezes into a small platform. "Well," Kai says, "Shall we?"
He and Troy step on, and it begins descending - the water around it freezing into an elevator shaft. They reach the bottom floor, and it glides along the pool, now with railings. It then raises up to the higher walkway, so that they can stand at eye level with Aristotle.

"So," He says, his face nearing them - Kai about the size of Aristotle's pupil. "I hear you want to take my daughter away?" They all just stare at one another a long time, until Kai speaks. "She wanted to go on an adventure, my lord - I was only too happy to oblige." Another pause, and Troy glances nervously at Kai.

Finally Aristotle lets out a deep chuckle and leans back. "I like you - you've done nothing wrong and you're not going to apologize for it. What are your names?"

"My name is Kai Ishida, and this is Troy Glavius. It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"Ishida? You wouldn't be related to Yukari Ishida, perchance? My associates speak highly of her potential."

"She's my sister, actually," Kai says, "She'll be upset I've met you first, she's more scholarly than I, but, I know my way around a sigil."

Aristotle nods. "And you?" He turns to the Minotaur.

"Physician, Scholar, Linguist. Like yourself I pursue knowledge."

"Good to know she's not going off with a boat of naught but drunken debaucherists, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

"So many possible questions, how could I know where to start?" Troy says with a small chuckle.

"What's at the end of the world?"

"I will admit I have never been there. There are many theories and accounts, but it is widely accepted that the world is much larger than in the days of yore. Some say it is simply still growing, that when it became the body of Atlas it grew as one. Some say it is round, that "down" is truly the "Center" of it all, and there is not edge. Of course, if that were the case, while centralized gravity is not so implausible as many first think, It would be something less likely to have enlarged. Not completely implausible, though. Some say there's open space at the end, others a great wall. Some say a wall of stone, which is ludicrous because, or course, it only begs one to ask what's beyond that. Now, some kind of ethereal barrier where the physical space simply ends is more plausible."

"But which do you believe?"

"Believe? I know which are more or less plausible, but I do not know, and belief without knowledge is foolish."

Kai nods.

"Now, just how do you expect to reach the end of the world within your lifetime? And how sea-locked is your vessel?"

"We have a localized time-drive for the journey. As for being sea-locked, we have a reorienting bent-space bag with enlarging opening for when we need to cross land. Not so good as flight, but... there's only so much we can afford..." Kai's speech begins to trail off as he realizes a possibility he dare not ask for.

Aristotle chuckles. "I suppose you're hoping I might pamper my daughter with such a capability? I'm afraid that a crystal large enough to propel a ship isn't something even I have just lying about."

"Well," Aristotle says, looking at Aurora. "Looking for a gem that large that isn't plugged into anything important, at least." He turns back to Kai and Troy. "But of course, you have not trespassed with silent thoughts."

The conversation diverges to Aristotle giving Kai some advice on wizardry, and discussing history and culture with Troy. After some time, Aristotle cuts the conversation short. "It has been a pleasure to meet you both,  I have no reservations allowing my daughter to leave with you. If you will excuse us, however, I would like to spend some time alone with her, seeing as this will be the last in a very, very long time I shall see her."

Kai and Troy bow to Aristotle and leave. "We'll see you back on the boat," Kai waves. The water once again creates a moving platform of Ice that transports them up and out.

"Now then," Aristotle says, turning to Aurora, "I believe we have a polymorph to design."

"Hmmm, well. Let's see... I want something awesome. Nothing can be as awesome as being a dragon, but it wouldn't hurt to have a nice humanoid form. hmmm... I think I have an idea," Aurora goes on to describe in detail a human girl of around 15 years of age who is essentially a young human version of Marceline, but with blue eyes and short blue hair with a white streak. She also describes some an oversized jacket of white with blue trim. The sleeves should be too long for her arms and the jacket should go own a little above her knees.

"Well, you'll have to get the clothing yourself," Aristotle says as a golem brings him a silver disc and a large diamond. The silver alights as lines begin carving themselves into it in almost microscopic detail.

"Oh! That might get awkward. From what I can tell, the humanoids are quite strict about being clothed. Any way I could magically create some clothes for myself? I mean, I guess I could buy some," she says as the amulet begins to forge. "Ooooh. This looks amazing."