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For some reason Echo emitted a brief chuckle inside Radiance's head.
Ursula scratched the back of her neck and slightly adjusted her ponytail:
"To go real deep into the mechanics of it, by firing a spell we're basically initiating a chemical reaction right? We need to spend a certain amount of energy, to initiate this reaction. In chemistry its called the Energy of Activation.
The amount of energy needed however is extremely high, therefore we need the help of a Catalyst to initiate this reaction.
The catalysts are very specific, usually one catalyst can only catalyze one specific reaction. So we need a different catalyst for each different spell.
That's where the calibration stone comes in. It stores both the formula and the catalyst needed to use a given spell.
In truth, we're not actually equipping 'Spells', we already know them.
We are equipping the Catalysts to use those spells.
These catalysts look like a yellow haze of tiny atoms and molecules that literally fly out of the calibration stone and into our body. Much like our Witcher weapon, the catalysts are stored in our brain stem.
Our anatomical body has limits on how many foreign atoms it can actually store in there, that's why there is a limit on how many catalysts we can equip." Ursula said.
Kaylee became very gloomy and looked down:
"...I was part of a task force, investigating the disappearance of Ragnveig city back then.
One week before we went into Nifelheim, we heard chatter that someone was moving military assets, somewhere in Verria. We didn't know what kind of assets exactly, but our recon teams found a military installation there, seemingly unaffiliated with any government or organization.
We believed they were connected to Ragnveig's disappearance, so I sent a task force to infiltrate the facility and gather intel.
Thirty minutes after the operation began, one of the team members radioed in and said:
"...-I learned everything. I know the purpose of the Pillars.... I have it on flash drive. Requesting extraction-..."
That's the only thing he managed to say before his transmission cut off." Kaylee looked away:
"I was aboard a spy plane at the time, and shortly after, I received a distress call from a Verrian coastal village, a few moments later... not far from where I was flying.
I was.. forced.. choose between extracting my infiltration team and their intel.
Or saving the village, knowing that Zoy, her dad and Johan were there.
I chose to save the village and my infiltration team died." Kaylee simply said with a blank expression:
"We never got their intel."
Ursula was completely silent for a long moment, then quietly asked:
"The location of this 'installation'. Does it match the coordinates of the Machina Portal?"
"I guess. I dunno, its hard to tell with this map" Kaylee nervously sighed.
"Don't matter" Ursula grimly replied and looked at the map: "The Machina Portal is always guarded by two defense lines of veteran Witchers. Massive stone barricades that tower dozens of meters into the air. Powerful pentagrams, ready to fire.
The portal is always watched, and the second something steps through-" Ursula grimly said:
"-it will be turned into ash. No invasion army ever survived Nifelheim.
If someone tries breaching the Portal defense lines, they will regret it dearly"
Ursula scratched the back of her neck and slightly adjusted her ponytail:
"To go real deep into the mechanics of it, by firing a spell we're basically initiating a chemical reaction right? We need to spend a certain amount of energy, to initiate this reaction. In chemistry its called the Energy of Activation.
The amount of energy needed however is extremely high, therefore we need the help of a Catalyst to initiate this reaction.
The catalysts are very specific, usually one catalyst can only catalyze one specific reaction. So we need a different catalyst for each different spell.
That's where the calibration stone comes in. It stores both the formula and the catalyst needed to use a given spell.
In truth, we're not actually equipping 'Spells', we already know them.
We are equipping the Catalysts to use those spells.
These catalysts look like a yellow haze of tiny atoms and molecules that literally fly out of the calibration stone and into our body. Much like our Witcher weapon, the catalysts are stored in our brain stem.
Our anatomical body has limits on how many foreign atoms it can actually store in there, that's why there is a limit on how many catalysts we can equip." Ursula said.
Rain wrote:"Kaylee... You said you had the answer to whatever was going on back home in your hands yes? Before you tried to save Zoe." She gives a worried glance to Ursula, then back to Kaylee, "You said they were transporting something. Could it be possible that with us in here the witcher's are letting their guard down, ere go another mechanica attack from whoever is actually attacking these people."
Kaylee became very gloomy and looked down:
"...I was part of a task force, investigating the disappearance of Ragnveig city back then.
One week before we went into Nifelheim, we heard chatter that someone was moving military assets, somewhere in Verria. We didn't know what kind of assets exactly, but our recon teams found a military installation there, seemingly unaffiliated with any government or organization.
We believed they were connected to Ragnveig's disappearance, so I sent a task force to infiltrate the facility and gather intel.
Thirty minutes after the operation began, one of the team members radioed in and said:
"...-I learned everything. I know the purpose of the Pillars.... I have it on flash drive. Requesting extraction-..."
That's the only thing he managed to say before his transmission cut off." Kaylee looked away:
"I was aboard a spy plane at the time, and shortly after, I received a distress call from a Verrian coastal village, a few moments later... not far from where I was flying.
I was.. forced.. choose between extracting my infiltration team and their intel.
Or saving the village, knowing that Zoy, her dad and Johan were there.
I chose to save the village and my infiltration team died." Kaylee simply said with a blank expression:
"We never got their intel."
Ursula was completely silent for a long moment, then quietly asked:
"The location of this 'installation'. Does it match the coordinates of the Machina Portal?"
"I guess. I dunno, its hard to tell with this map" Kaylee nervously sighed.
"Don't matter" Ursula grimly replied and looked at the map: "The Machina Portal is always guarded by two defense lines of veteran Witchers. Massive stone barricades that tower dozens of meters into the air. Powerful pentagrams, ready to fire.
The portal is always watched, and the second something steps through-" Ursula grimly said:
"-it will be turned into ash. No invasion army ever survived Nifelheim.
If someone tries breaching the Portal defense lines, they will regret it dearly"
