3rd of Searing, 120 AV
There was an ever-present 'tick tick ticking' in the small artificing workspace in the Servant Quarters of the Terras Estates. On the walls of the room were a countless number of what could only be described as clocks, though few of them actually held the equipment to tell time. Gears turned and clicked together, pendulums swung, and what was created from this activity was a fog of ever-present noise that one either got used to or were driven mad by. For Milana, this wasn't an issue. Master Dillinger had forced her to work in these cramped quarters so often now that the cacophony was akin to soothing background noise to her, though she could not say the same for Stous.
She glanced over her shoulder toward the door of the workshop where she knew her bodyguard stood watch. Ever since the incident that nearly took his left ear off the man refused to step foot into the space, a fact that still made Dillinger chortle with amusement at to this day. He was just a call away she knew, but for now, she did not wish to be disturbed. Her eyes returned to the bundle of leathers in front of her. The smell of the worked animal hide was pungent and having broken her concentration the stench made her nose wrinkle once more. It was just as simple as it appeared, a piece of worked leather properly cut and stitched into X shape with a well-worked hole in the center of the X. Each leg of the X was roughly the length of her forearm, each roughly 2 finger-widths wide. When Milana had asked the local tanner for this particular piece of equipment made he had scratched his head in confusion, though after she had explained her idea he seemed to understand it well enough. Her thought for this particular item had come from her last rounds in the Clinic with her father. She had watched him as he had to rebreak a poorly healed leg in order to reset it. Why was it poorly healed? Because despite his warnings the farmer had set to the fields once more after barely a fortnight of rest. Their bindings, while moderately effective, could do nothing to support a person who chose to walk on a damaged leg despite the warnings of their physician. That though then made Milana wonder about those adventurers who set off into the lands along, or in small groups. When they became injured it was unlikely that they had someone skilled in medicine as her father was, and if they in fact did have to walk back they risked disfiguring themselves. So then, what if there was something that could work as a temporary binding agent? A cast that a person could wear that would, at the very least, help mitigate any more serious damage while someone got to safety? Thus she had requisitioned the leather, and her current project had begun.
Milana adjusted the focus on the small jeweler's magnifying visor she had borrowed from Emma in town. It was a simple thing, a headband that nestled snugly against her forehead with a lense that dipped down over one eye. That lense would magnify anything within it in magnificent ways, and the would-be artificer had found it exceptionally useful for doing small detailed work required by her craft. She made a mental note to have Edwin commission one of her own so that she did not have to continue to bother the Jeweler in town. She focused in on the underside of the leather, the part that would not be exposed to the outside elements. She had already begun the act of carving the pictographs into the leather, carefully etching each into the soft material with as much grace and care as she could muster. So when she noticed that she had, again, turned what should have been a sweeping curved line into a jagged edge the young noble had to suppress a rather undignified curse from escaping her lips. Despite the setbacks Milana kept pressing forward, adding more and more lines, circles, and arches until she reached the very end of each of the letter straps and at last set down her carving tools and rubbed her strained eyes.
"I should probably ask Westen to do this part from now on." she said allowed. Westen was the tanner who had crafted the straps, and he also did beautiful works with the leather he made not only for armor but also for bags and other useful equipment. In the future, Milana thought, she would commission some of the fine detail work from a professional instead of insisting on doing everything her self. Yet still, it was done. The next step was one that Milana never enjoyed, and so when she took up the sharp razor edge in her left hand her fingers held a slight tremble. Gritting her teeth she made a quick, small cut into her right ring finger, letting a drop of blood well up there before dropping onto the carved leather underside. She did this for several points along the length of the leather, ensuring each and every photograph received the same treatment of blood infusing before she was rightly satisfied.
Moving the leather to the side Reima looked across the room to a small set of drawers sitting on top of a table against the wall. Raising a hand Milana felt her connection with the Kinetic rune on her right shoulder flair to life, sending a tingling sensation through her body down to the tips of her fingers. Suddenly she felt as if she were set adrift in the ocean, all around her flowing the current of Aether which made up the world as she knew it. For a moment Milana closed her eyes, taking in the sensation like one might a fine wine as she followed the streams that coursed around and through her, crashing and turning around objects both large and small. She followed the lines of power to the drawers, to a specific one, and there she focused her attention. Opening her eyes she reached her hand forward, linking her aether with that of the drawer and slowly pulling her hand back to her chest. For a moment the wood of the drawer resisted before slowly pulling open fully. Inside Milana knew was the item she needed, so she within she found the flux of the small metallic pin. Again she set the link in place, breathing in as she raised her hand up and sent a ripple through the aether that made the small object rise slowly into the air. Once more she pulled on the aether and the small item floated ever so slowly into her open and waiting palm.
A single breath in and out is all it took to sever her connection with the rune, and the Aether flux around her, the tingling slowly stoping as she uncurled her fingers and looked at the item in her palm. It was a small metal pin with a dull point capped by a flat piece of copper that would hold it in place. It looked similar to an earring, but with a simple cut-glass gem embedded in its center. This would be her little constructs core, and because of the simplicity of what she wanted from it, she did not require anything extravagant. Setting the item down Milana drew a large piece of scrollwork from a drawer beside her chair, unrolling the blank page out on the workbench before taking up ink and quill and drawing out three circles. The largest circle was more intricate. It had a 2nd, smaller circle inside of it with swirling lines like those of a whirlpool leading to its center made. Its outside edges were given ever so quill strokes that looked somewhat like cresting waves in the ocean. This larger circle was then connected to the two smaller, much simpler circles on either side. Normally the Artificer needed to stand in the opposite circle of the Circle of Minding, however... Given her condition Master, Dillinger had come up with an alternative.
With that done, Milana took up the pin and the small carving knife once more. She readjusted the magnifying visor to better see her work. Across the surface, Milana tried to carve simple circles and lines to make up this Pictograph. As it was the Core it did not require large connections and slopes to ensure the flow of aether could travel unimpeded. Instead, she focused on making the photograph Symmetric. She ensured each line was as precise as possible and used simple shapes. The result was not extremely pretty, but it served for the simple programming this golem required. Finally, when this step was finished Milana set the pin-down and looked at the 3 parts she had prepared. The Aether Well, a Shroud which was worked into the body of her golem. The core made of simple material and inscribed with pictographs that suited its simple nature, and finally, the Circle of Minding also created from simple pictographs. Nodding slowly Milana reached into the pocket of her dress and placed a ring with a softly glowing stone on her right index finger. The ring was a simple metal band with a single stone, a dragon shard of average quality that acted as her Dragonshard Foci. Closing her eyes Milana touched each of the pictographs, in turn, starting with the leather and felt the flow of aether passing between her Foci and the Pictograph. At each one there was a sensation of cold lightning as the aether passed through her like a conduit, before a slight numbness as the Pictograph was awoken to the presence of aether. When she finished with the Core Milana felt slightly fatigued, and she stored the Foci back in its place in her pocket.
The Pin was placed into the Center of the Circle of Minding, and Milana pressed her hands into the two circles and closed her eyes. It took a moment, but through the Pictograph Milana felt her mental presence shift until it 'stood' inside of the core. It was a blank emptiness, white and slightly foggy in her mind's eye, and almost seemed eager to be filled. Holding out her 'hands' Milana brought forth the image of the finished device. The leather X completed, pictographs resonating with the Pin at its center. She imagined the little golem moving each of the leather straps as someone would a limb. It could curl, twist and wrap. For reference, she used her own fingers to show the golem what it could possibly do. With the Golem processing its new body Milana then turned to more specifics. The limbs could move, and the golem could move them, but Milana wanted it to work in a very specific way. Within the space she let a phrase ring out, strong and commanding in its authority.
Flots In the space she brought the image of a person laying on the ground and Milana carried the golem construct to the man and pressed it against the man's swollen leg. Then she brought fort the image of the golem moving its limbs, wrapping and curling around the limb it touched until all of its limps twisted and looped the man's shin and calf. Next Milana brought to mind the image of a snake, how it would wrap around its prey, and squeeze tighter and tighter. The construct responded in kind, binding tightly to the man so that the fragile bones within would not easily move. It used the small hooks at each end of leather to latch itself firmly into place.
A mental nod and Milana stepped back, summoning another word into the space.
Shin The imagined the image of the snake once more, this time instead of tightening it slowly loosened, unwinding itself until it released the thing it held captive. The golem responded in turn, undoing its clasps and slowly unwrapping itself from the leg it was attached to.
Withdrawing from the Circle of Minding Milana opened her eyes, looking down at the tiny core as she smiled. Taking up the pin she carefully inserted it into its spot at the center of the leather straps, placing the flat cap on the other side and pressing it firmly to ensure it locked into place. Then came the moment of truth. Taking a deep breath she held the artifact to her right arm, the straps touching her skin. Softly she whispered, "Flots."
It didn't happen immediately, but slowly the golem began to stir. The end of one strap twitched, swishing as it brushed Milana's skin before all four limbs reached out and began to wind around and around her forearm. When it had fully grasped her Milana let go, and suddenly the device tightened. Gasping, Milana grabbed the armrest of her chair in surprise, tears welling at the tightness that was quickly turning her fingers red.
"Shin, shin, shin!" She cried, practically begging the golem to release her as she tugged at the straps. Again the response was slow, but finally, the pressure began to release until the golem went completely limp on her arm.
Gasping slightly from the pain Milana shook the golem off onto the table, rubbing her arm and flexing her fingers experimentally.
"It needs a bit of adjustment..." she said, brushing the water from her cheeks as she undid the clasp on the pin, "I need to add the ability to adjust the tightening..."
Her mind raced, new thoughts beginning to form as she added two new phrases to the Golem's core. "Fus" and "Ma". The golem would wrap itself around a person's limb with the initial Flots command, but then Fus would be used to tighten the device in increments, and Ma would be used to loosen. As she worked Milana absently wondered if there was a way to specify exactly how tight one wanted the device... but that was an experiment for another day.
