55 Ash 120 Steel
Talon collected the raw viscerite from within the compartment of the runeforge carefully. He wore leather and lead lined gloves as he picked it up, carrying it over to the surface of the anvil not but a few feet from the forge itself. Behind him, Velkan closed the collection compartment. He then hurried over to prepare the nearby rack that would be used to gather the cloth created from this particular batch of viscerite.
“Won’t removing it from the anvil afterwards solidify the structure?” Talon picked set the viscerite upon the surface of his anvil carefully. He then reached for his hammer, calling upon the gift of Semblance in order to draw the aether pathways into his field of vision.
“Take a look at the platform that we are standing upon.” As instructed, Velkan began inspecting the platform upon which the anvil was situated. As he did, Talon brought his hammer down on the first aether pathway that he had been searching for. He attuned his aetheric vision to its branching structure, getting a clear view of how it held the viscerite together. He would need to modify that and bring the pathways into the proper alignment so that he got the material that he was searching for.
“The whole platform is a primer.” Talon nodded, bringing his hammer down upon the pathway in his vision. It hummed, illuminating in his sight as he stirred the aether into motion so that it could be molded. “The anvil is another keystone?”
“Not quite.” Talon struck the aether pathway again. He then set the hammer aside, grabbing his tuning fork. He struck the viscerite, filling the space with a musical note. Gently he began guiding the tonal fork along the structure of the pathway that he had been hammering. He listened carefully as the tonal fork vibrated and sent its tone into the air. He nodded when he found a disruption in the vibration and a change in the tone. That was where the aetheric structure was weak. That was where he would be able to begin deconstructing its current form and from there, could mold it anew.
“The anvil is a focal point. The runeforging pictography chiseled upon its surface makes this area the most potent and useful when it comes to breaking apart aetheric pathways and reforging them. In a similar manner that the forge itself works, the difference being potency. While the forge works to break things down to their raw essence, the anvil just makes them pliable enough to shift, mold and refine without shattering completely.” Talon picked up his hammer again and struck at the spot that was clear in his vision. The result saw ripples shift across the viscerite’s surface, creating a web of illuminated pathways within the interior.
“That is, if you know what you are doing. Push too far and things become unworkable. Push just enough and you can forge whatever your imagination allows.” Velkan stepped up, bringing one of the aura glass lenses up so that he could watch what Talon was doing.
“How do you know what you are doing?” Talon struck at the pathway once more. It began to shift and bend. Focusing his Semblance, Talon searched for the pathway that was linked to the component of leather that he had incorporated into the essence of the viscerite. Once he found it, Talon struck that pathway with his hammer, once, twice, a third time until it was properly primed. He then struck the original pathway once more, priming that one for manipulation. With the needed paths properly in motion, Talon pointed to them.
“Practice. Semblance helps funnel the information directly into my mind too. You see this pathway here?” Velkan focused on it, turning the lens until it was in his vision. He then nodded. “This is what we call a False Pathway. It is the structural pathway created from the viscerite hardening into crystal. False Pathways are the key to your work. You will need to either break them so that they can be linked and molded into the structural manifestation you desire, or you can reinforce them if you had a pre-fabricated mold prepared and it is already in the shape you require.”
Talon picked up a pair of forceps and his tonal fork once more. He struck the surface of the viscerite once more, filling the space with the musical note. Carefully he grabbed the aetheric pathway that he had primed with the tongs. Gently and with the practiced patience of a master craftsman, he began tugging and nudging the hard crystal structure toward the vein leading to the pliable and supple pathway of leather. Little by little, he began redirecting the pathways inside toward its flow and direction.
“Everything that we do as runesmiths is based upon the principles of aetheric pathways. Runeforgers throughout the ages have boiled our work down to the manipulation of three primary types of pathways. The first is Structural. In simpler terms, these are the mundane properties of the artifact. How it feels, how much it weighs, whether it is as strong as steel or as fragile as glass.” Talon continued guiding this first pathway into place until both of them were bridged. He then set his forceps and tonal fork down. Picking up the hammer once more, Talon began performing more gentle but firm strikes in order to pound the changes into place. He alternated between folding and tugging with his forceps and then pounding the alteration into place with the hammer.
“The second type are Aesthetic pathways. This is what the object looks like. It is why I can make an object with the strength of kinetic reinforced steel look like a piece of wood while still being able to cut through the thickest armor. If you want a wand to glow red every time it spits out a fireball, this is how you achieve it. If you want to create leather that breathes with the ease of finely woven cotton but is as impenetrable as refined eberrite, you alter the aesthetic pathways to give it those appearances and linking them to the structural pathways.” As he spoke, Talon was doing just that. He searched for the properties of the steel within the viscerite. With his hammer, he struck and primed those pathways. He then picked up his forceps once more, adding the use of his tonal fork to both properly attune the pathways and help guide them. Little by little he linked up the structural integrity and strength of steel to the supple flexibility of the leather pathways. Once this was performed, he solidified those pathways into place so that they did not deviate.
Looking to Velkan, he was pleased to see the young man staring at the viscerite with rapt fascination. Talon extended the hammer to his apprentice. Velkan blinked at him in surprise.
“Do you think I am ready, Master?” Talon nodded.
“You have been tinkering with the pathways of minor dragonshards for weeks now. Besides, there is nothing you can do that I cannot fix.” Velkan hesitated for a moment then reached out and grasped the hammer. He held it steady in his hand for a moment before taking his place at the anvil. Immediately, the young man began hunching over. Talon pressed a hand to Velkan’s chest while also pressing one to his lower back.
“Keep good posture. You want to maintain good form as much as you pay attention to the work itself. The last thing you need is a broken back, that does not serve a smith well.” Velkan nodded. Again he hesitated as he focused his attention through the aura lenses. Letting out a breath, Talon watched him. He folded his arms over his chest.
“Velkan?” His apprentice looked up at him a bit wide-eyed. “Breathe. I will be right here. The whole time. I will not leave you to do this by yourself. Remember, strike. Observe for the vibrations and the illumination of your intended pathway. If the vibrations are weak, strike again until the pathway is hot. Once it is hot, watch where it branches, then prime your other pathway as appropriate.” Talon pointed to another pathway tied to steel and another to the leather.
“You see where these diverge? You need to bring them into alignment. Strike. Prime. Guide.” Velkan nodded and then struck his first pathway. Talon watched patiently. He inclined his head. “Again. Be firmer this time. You need to create a strong vibration to excite the aether.”
Velkan struck again, firmer this time. The resultant ripple across the viscerite caused the expected illumination. It brought a smile to Talon’s face.
“Good. Prime this pathway enough so that it becomes visible to the naked eye for no longer than five seconds. No more. No less.” Velkan glanced up at him.
“Why five seconds?”
“So that you can see how the other pathways react without the aide of an aura lens. Being able to recognize visually whether an object is properly functioning, without the help of our normal tools, is just as important as being able to follow things through a lens or with Semblance. You should be able to glance at an object and know whether it is stable or not.” Velkan struck the pathway again. It was not as firm or precise as it should have been which he recognized and struck again.
“Wouldn’t an unstable object act erratically?” Talon quirked a brow.
“Would it?” Velkan frowned as he struck the pathway again, getting the desired effect this time. He picked up the forceps and tonal fork.
“I do not know, Master.” Talon nodded.
“Exactly. An artifact can be fashioned to present chaotically and erratically while still being perfectly stable. You need to be able to recognize the difference between an aetheric breakdown a manifestation of an artifact’s mechanics.” Velkan nodded. From his expression, Talon could tell that he did not quite understand yet but that knowledge would come with time and experience. Talon would just have to guide him toward the differences. As Velkan struck the viscerite with the tonal fork and grabbed the pathway, Talon watched and waited, already spotting a mistake.
“It is not flowing as easily as it should.” Talon inclined his head.
“Correct. Use the tonal fork to guide your motions. Listen to the note that is resonating from the fork. Hear how it starts, guide it up to the pathway you intend to work on. Listen to how it changes and attunes to that path. Then guide it along that path. Where you hear the change in tone, that is where you should grab.” Velkan furrowed his brow. Stepping up, Talon came to stand beside his apprentice. He did not take the tools from Velkan’s hand but rather guided them. He made Velkan strike the viscerite again but stopped him from grabbing a pathway just yet. Navigating to the intended pathway, he let the fork attune to the pathway’s first frequency. Then he guided it along the flow until there was a change in the tone.
“Oh!” Talon smiled.
“You heard?” Velkan nodded enthusiastically. With that, Talon stepped back to observe. He would have to step in to make a few corrections once the initial work was done but of all pathways to correct, structural ones were some of the easiest.
