Chapter 41: Reinforcement 1

Yolani wiped the sweat from her forehead, the heat of the artifice forge turning her workshop into a sweltering sauna. She had cracked the windows open and set up a draft for fresh air, but the oppressive heat still permeated every corner of the room.

The guest room now resembled a miniature version of the artifice workshops at the City Works, complete with all the necessary tools and equipment.

She took a deep breath, the scent of molten metal filling the air as she examined the glowing alloy with a critical eye.

Working on Elania’s [Regalia] was a deeply personal endeavor, and she preferred to do it away from prying eyes.

Unless, of course, those eyes belonged to Elania herself. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest at the thought.

With a pair of tongs, she carefully turned the metal over, the golden hue of the steel confirming that the glow moss alloying process had been successful. The metal was now ready for annealing.

Yolani carried the glowing alloy to a large metal machine, its bulk dominating one corner of the workshop.

She opened the door to reveal an oven powered by mana shards, which would allow the metal to cool slowly and evenly, preventing it from shattering or becoming brittle.

The glow moss alloy would serve as the final internal gilding for the [Regalia], providing a conduit for the intricate rune lines that would channel and direct the flow of [Power].

But that would come later. She closed the oven door, and the process began.

She turned her attention outward, the only sound the steady hum of mana resonance from the shards powering her machines.

The reinforced walls, a thin layer of stone protecting the mansion’s wooden frame, provided some measure of security. Still, she wouldn’t want to drop anything… heavy. Or hot enough to burn through the protective layer of fake stone.

Her next task would be using the artifice forge again. She moved to prepare a crucible.

The crystalline metal Elania had acquired needed to be crushed into a fine powder, a process Yolani had completed earlier using a grinder. That had been a mess. It had even required the use of a vacuum hood and a wet scarf for safety.

From her research, she’d learned that the metal was biologically active. If embedded in flesh or breathed in, it had the potential to leech minerals and grow out of control.

It was probably why Arlois had sent Elania to clear some from the deposit in the first place. Left unchecked, it was possible that it could grow exponentially, consuming everything in a wide area.

The thought sent a shiver through her.

It was a double-edged sword: a material with incredible potential for both creation and destruction. Those effects wouldn't necessarily be present once she smelted it, but the raw material was nasty stuff.

The process was also too slow for her to think about weaponizing it, otherwise she would have considered adding it to the list of her planned elemental projectiles for the [Regalia].

Maybe if she could figure out a growth catalyst…

Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts aside. She needed to focus on the task at hand.

Placing the powder into the crucible, she was careful not to agitate it into the air.

The ceramic pot filled quickly, the powder settling evenly. Tapping the crucible with her wand, a series of runes flared to life around its circumference, their soft glow casting dancing shadows across her face.

With a pair of tongs, she carefully lifted the crucible, the heat of the forge washing over her as she placed it dead center.

Another tap of her control wand on the forge's exterior activated the crystal pane, a shimmering barrier that sealed the internal chamber from the outside world, save for the exhaust vent.

She reached down, her fingers finding the groove that housed the mana shard slider. Moving it into place, the resonance frequency between it and the primary power shard increased rapidly.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The forge's interior began to glow, the heat within rising to temperatures that would turn lesser materials into slag. The heat protection wards etched into its surface flared to life, their intricate patterns working to prevent everything from melting into an unrecognizable mess.

Everything except for the contents of the crucible itself.

Deep within the ceramic vessel, the crystalline metal was transforming, its structure breaking down and reforming under the intense heat.

With the smelting underway, Yolani turned away from the forge, her attention drawn to another workbench.

Tools of every shape and size littered its surface, each serving a specific purpose. She ran her fingers over them, the cool metal a stark contrast to the forge's heat at her back.

She moved to scrutinize the two primary molds she’d prepared, the product of hours of meticulous shaping and refining. The pristine river sand from Contia’s northeastern river, infused with ground-up mana crystal, formed the basis of the molds.

Yolani reached for her wand and tapped the bottom half of each one.

The sand solidified, the magic binding the grains together to prevent any shifting or collapse. With a steady hand, she placed the top half of the molds onto their respective bottoms, the two pieces fitting together like a puzzle.

Another application of the wand sealed the two parts together, leaving only a single opening for molten metal to pour through.

She slid each mold into an artificed bronze container, the metal gleaming in the forge’s light. She spot-welded the containers shut, creating an anti-resonance brace to protect the molds during the casting process.

With the molds secured, she carried them to the artifice forge. The heat from the forge washed over her, sweat beading on her forehead almost immediately. She slid the molds into the designated slot on the side to pre-heat them.

She checked the crucible, the crystalline metal now a shimmering liquid. Satisfied with its state, she added three more crucibles, each filled with a different metal. The forge’s heat engulfed the new additions, the metals within slowly melting and combining.

The metals liquefied, each one with its own color, creating a mesmerizing dance inside the forge. She grabbed her forging mask and activated its visual enhancements.

Green, all green.

No impurities or clumps detected while the darkened crystal of the mask gave her face some relief from the heat.

When all four crucibles were ready, she activated a switch, and a mechanism poured the molten metals into a single stream that flowed into a larger crucible below.

The combined metal glowed with a brilliant white light, its intensity almost blinding even through the forging mask. She activated the mixer, the mana shard resonance manipulating the metal, ensuring a proper and thorough blend.

With the spent crucibles rearranged to the side, Yolani initiated the casting process. The main crucible rose, and the two waiting molds slid into the chamber to meet it. The artifice casing protected the sand from the intense heat, preventing it from cooking into glass.

The main crucible tipped, and the liquefied metal poured into the molds’ openings like water. The amount was perfect, ensuring a complete and flawless casting.

She flipped the artifice forge to standby so it would cool gradually, giving the work time to rest as it came down from the intense heat. The process involved annealing within the forge itself, which would take hours.

Yolani turned, took off the forging mask, and wiped her brow, clearing a sheen of sweat from her forehead.

She wouldn’t get to check on the fruits of her labor for some time, but she wasn’t nearly finished. Her eyes slid to the workbench with the polishing and refinement tools.

They needed to be ready.

When she was satisfied everything was in place, she sat down and spread out the [Regalia] schematics to review them again.

The hours ticked by as she pored over every detail, every line and curve, ensuring everything was just right. Again.

She’d spent countless nights perfecting the designs, and now, with the casting cooling in the forge, she was one step closer to bringing them to life.

Yolani stood up, stretching her arms above her head as she made her way to the forge. The heat had dissipated, and the once-scorching air was now cool enough to comfortably work in.

She unsealed the forge, the heavy door swinging open with a soft creak.

The casting molds’ outer shells were baked a deep, charcoal black.

She reached for her tongs and carefully extracted each mold, one at a time. She placed them on the workbench, the weight of the metal inside making the table groan softly.

With a hammer in hand, she positioned the first mold on the anvil. She took a deep breath, then brought the hammer down with a light but firm blow. The sand burst apart, crumbling away to reveal the metal beneath.

Yolani brushed away the debris, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the bracer.

It was solid, the metal curving perfectly to fit the contours of Elania’s arm. The grooves she’d so carefully etched into the mold were exactly where she’d intended them to be.

She moved on to the revolver, the pieces still connected by thin metal spurs. She inspected each part closely, her fingers tracing over the main body and the cylinder.

The barrel would come later, a separate piece she’d need to craft and seal to the rest of the weapon. But for now, the chassis looked good, the metal smooth and free of any imperfections. She’d need to be careful while cutting them apart and polishing off the spurs, but that was only a matter of care and time.

Yolani stepped back, her eyes roaming over the pieces laid out before her.

There was still so much work to be done, so many details to attend to before the [Regalia] would be ready for Elania to bond with.

She took a deep breath, mentally adjusting her timeline. There could be no rushing the process, no cutting corners or taking shortcuts. This was too important, too precious to risk anything less than perfection.

Two days, maybe three.

That’s how long it would take to get everything exactly right.

Yolani ran a hand through her hair, her mind already racing with the next steps: polishing, refining, and etching the runes that would channel Elania’s [Power].

It would be a long road, but one she was more than willing to walk.

It was probably the most intricate and complicated piece of work she would ever complete.

A smile appeared on her lips. And she was doing it for the love of her life, which made the process all that much sweeter.