[Well, Hector's not in charge of keeping the castle floors tidy, so the trail of entrails isn't his problem.

He isn't here to get all buddy-buddy with his rival, but he doesn't get many opportunities to talk about his work with someone who understands it. So he figures there's no harm in answering.]

I started as a boy. I was being trained in more classical alchemy, but all I wanted was a dog. My... the man who trained me wouldn't allow any 'unnecessary expenses', but I thought he couldn't protest a pet that cost nothing to acquire and would have no need to eat. Suppose I had a natural bent for it, because I was able to piece together a ritual to raise a dead dog I found.