Runeforged Reinforcement, Part II
Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2024 12:33 pm
1st Day of Searing, 124th Year of the Age of Steel
continued from here...
“We should transcribe the most useful Runeforging recipes that only require the mortar and pestle into a book of our own.” Masagh whispered to Indira as he finished the last of the hammering on the spaulder he was Runeforging. “As well as both Everandyr’s references, Rites of Flesh and Paths of Memory. They should be a good base for everything we need for necromancy.”
Indira was nodding eagerly. “We can start tonight! I think there are a few copies of the references in the library. You can just say you are letting me practice. Should it be in old Imperial or Common?” She touched a finger to her chin in thought. “Common would probably be much faster, but I could maybe do old Imperial if you want.”
“Common should be fine.” Masagh said, setting the now curved bit of metal down on the etching mat on their workbench. He rummaged in his leather wrap for the smaller chisels he used for etching. “I want it done quick and neatly, nothing fancy. We might want to copy down more before… before anything happens.”
She was watching him as he carefully consulted the recipe for the spaulder. “It’s okay, you know. To want to find your own path.” Her words were quiet.
He looked up at her for a moment. Her eyes still had the dark bags under them, and they seemed wide and piercing. He couldn't meet them for long. “I know that. It's what I've wanted for a long time.”
She sighed and dropped her pointed chin into her palm, hair swaying eerily. “I haven’t even dared to think about wanting my own path. Well, until I got out of that dusty old tomb. Now I am so excited about what we are doing. You know it isn’t really what I had in mind for myself back when I was… alive.” She stumbled over the word, her bright cheer fading for a moment. “But that’s okay. I get to have something, get to make something for myself. It’s more than I thought I would get.” She reached up and ran a hand through her hair, turning her eyes back on him. He met them and a dimple formed near the corner of her mouth where she smiled.
“Maybe that’s the point, you know?” She continued. “We don’t get to make exactly what we envisioned, but we get to make something. I know it’s different for you. Harder.” Her smile widened a bit even as her eyes grew sadder. “It is easier to walk away from hate and fear than it is to walk away from love.”
“We’re walking towards love. Both of us.” Masagh said. He watched as surprised amusement rose in her face. “Gah, you know what I meant.” He grumbled, looking away. She laughed deep in her chest.
Masagh bent over his work, making the metal flush with the etching mat where he tapped fine lines. The various runes wove along the metal in a complex knotwork leading towards the center. There he left space for the three pivotal glyphs that would define the enchantment. The intricate work required just as much finesse as endurance and Masagh found himself pausing and leaning back frequently. He repeatedly connected the line of runes for reinforcement with the parallel line of runes for light weight with convergence pictographs.
It was an hour before he was finally ready to start on the reinforcement glyph at the top center. He groaned in satisfaction as he held the metal back from his face and let Indira lean over and look.
“Wow, fascinating.” She said, only half sarcastically. “I don’t know about magic more than just watching Lithiricus, but I think this kind of looks like some of the circles he would draw.”
“There is a sort of universal theme to it all, yes.” Masagh agreed, brushing some metal flecks from his work to inspect the fine lines. “I don’t remember a Runeforge in Lithiricus’ little rat den, though.”
“Hmm, no. Plenty of sacrificial altars though, and he would make similar circles around those.” Indira said conversationally.
Masagh grunted in acknowledgement as he bent to his work once again. The first of the major glyphs was the reinforcement glyph at the top center, connecting to the knotwork rune lines at four points. He began the fine lifework of the etching from memory with an even hand on the mallet against the chisel. Steady and slow was the key. One stroke out of line and he would have to get very creative on how he incorporated that into the finished product.
“Oh, Sabrione is here.” Indira said softly, a clear warning in her tone. Masagh looked up from the nearly finished glyph to see his sister in full battle regalia striding across the laboratory towards Arthur. She was not looking at him. Riah stood leaning against the doorframe of the lab. She was looking at him.
When he met her eye Riah gave a sort of grimacing smile and a small wave. Sabrione and Arthur talked for a few moments and then Arthur went to a small box of supplies usually reserved for one time use items for missions. He reached in and pulled out a handful of force beads and gave them to Sabrione. She nodded, clapped him on the shoulder and turned to walk out.
Masagh watched his sister walk away. She looked haggard and sullen. When she caught his eye she paused mid step before continuing on to the door. “Kinvaren activity in the city. Some goblins got snatched and a pair of thugs over east side.” She said as if in explanation. Then she stepped past Riah and out of sight. Riah followed with another awkward wave.
“What does that mean?” Indira asked, looking worried.
Masagh tapped his teeth together once. It meant danger, possibly combat. “The Kinvaren Coven is a group of vampyres in the city that have been waging a war with House Creth for… ever.” Masagh said, finally turning back to his work. He set to work on the second major glyph, that of lightness. “She and Riah are going ton investigate. Probably dangerous.”
He could tell Indira was staring at him though he did not look up. Masagh focused the entirety of his attention on the minute details of his work, forcing his sister and Riah out of his head. “Sabrione knows what she is doing. I’m sure she will be okay.”
“Yeah, she will be.” Masagh forced himself to agree, smiling up at her briefly. “Thanks Indira.” He etched the fine curve of the very edge where the glyph just came close to touching the first glyph. Masagh pulled out his auraglass and inspected his lines. An even glow shimmered along the lines. Perfect.
He looked up, pulling the auraglass from his eye. Indira’s pale, wide eyes were still watching him work. She had her chin in her hand again and a slight frown on her face. “She’s going to be fine, Indira. She’s been doing this longer than I have.”
“Mhmm. I know.” She cleared her throat, an odd thing to witness in a ghost. “Can I see?” She held out her long slender hand for the auraglass. Masagh handed it to her and proceeded to show her the glyphs and where the third would go.
Indira leaned over very close to the metal and peered through the auraglass. As she looked, her incorporeal form drifted into his hip slightly. A warmth spread from the small touch, thawing the cold of his ghoul body. Usually ghosts caused a chill when passing through, but since Indira had first haunted him the touch had seemed like life.
“Huh, can’t wait to see it in action.” Indira said, handing him back the auraglass. Her hand went incorporeal again the moment he took it.
“Yes, hopefully it goes smoothly.” Masagh muttered, bending back over the final glyph he needed to etch for this one tiny piece of the armor. “Just a few hundred more hours and we will be finished with the first set of armor.” He continued dismally as the prospect of carving tiny lines into metal for the foreseeable future.
“Well, Arthur is probably taking the lead, so only half that time for you.” Indira said, a valiant effort at optimism.
They both knew what was in store for him, a season of chisel and mallet and metal dust under the fingernails. Masagh knew there were worse things to deal with than a season of interesting and rare Runeforging. He resolved for the second time that day to stop complaining so much. If he wanted to be a knight again, he would have to be knightly.
Masagh finally finished the last glyph and with it this one spaulder in the armor set. A good day’s work, but it was time to test it. He looked up eagerly at Indira. “It is done, time to test the enchantment.” He reached out and plucked the Ghoulblade from thin air.
When he had clamped the piece of newly created armor into the wrought iron vice set against the workbench Masagh raised his blade overhead. He saw Arthur look up from his own work across the lab to watch.
Masagh swung the blade down on the armor. His aim was perfect, as it well should be after multiple lifetimes of experience. When he struck the spaulder there was a moment of resistance where Masagh felt a rush of victory welling up inside him. Then a resounding crash. The metal of the spaulder came apart, flinging itself across the lab in multiple directions. One flew directly through Indira’s shocked face, doing no harm. Masagh felt a dull tugging as another gauged a coin sized hole in his own kidney. Across the room a jar of some liquid shattered and a few boxes flew off shelves.
“Fuck!” Masagh cursed, hurling his blade at the ground. The Ghoulblade shimmered into nonexistence before hitting the tiles though. He reached a pair of fingers into the wound and dug out the piece of metal. “Fuck.” He reaffirmed.
Arthur had approached and was staring at the one curved shard of metal still clamped into the vice. “So, you made a mistake.” He said flatly.
“I placed the glyphs right up against each other!” Masagh said. “I inlaid the rune lines parallel with the reinforcement enchantment on the outer edge. Just like the instructions called for. Where did I go wrong?” Masagh reined in his anger and asked this last in as neutral a tone as he could. He wanted this to be less a tantrum and more an academic discussion. Arthur blinked at him once and then freed the shard from the vice and held his hand out for the piece Masagh held.
He handed it to the more experienced World Mage. Arthur’s massive form bent over both for a moment before he scoffed. “You have not interwoven the glyphs at all, just butted them up against each other. Where is the aether supposed to blend eh? This is not two enchantments, but one enchantment with two effects.” Arthur grimaced and held the bloody piece up to his eye. “And here, you have used a bifold convergence? Why? There are three glyphs, two complex lines of runes connecting. Trifold convergence at least is required for this level of work. At least!”
Masagh stared at him. “The recipe didn’t say anything about that. I’ve never used a trifold convergence.” He said after a moment.
“Bah, the recipe. You need to get your head out of those recipes and think for yourself.” Arthur said, tossing the pieces onto the workbench with no ceremony. He folded his arms and glowered at Masagh. “I think I have had you coloring within the lines too much lately. Tomorrow you will not return to this armor.”
Masagh opened his mouth to protest. Arthur held up a hand. He was not a blood member of the Creth family, but he was a man of unique experience and diligence. As a mentor, his authority was above scrutiny.
Masagh snapped his mouth shut.
“You will come up with your own project that you will design from scratch and pay for out of your own funds.” Arthur said. “I will not have you exploding my materials in my laboratory anymore. You will think about how it must be made and you will draw out a schematic for review before the creation process. Do you understand?” Arthur finished.
“Yes.” Masagh grunted, nodding. Behind Arthur Indira was laughing at him silently. “I’ll get to work on it.”
“Do so somewhere else.” Arthur said, waving a hand towards the door.
Masagh put away his tools and gathered up a premise on Runesith fundamentals before slipping out the door. He was grateful Arthur had been the only Bonecaster to witness that explosive failure.
“Well.” Indira said, walking along behind him. “At least you won’t be making boring old armor for the next season!” A tinkling giggle burst from her as she said it.