Private Tales Consequence

[Alistair Krixus]

In response to Kristen's first comment, he moved back over to the bookshelf and pulled out a book on dwarven engineering in all of its forms. Alistair had originally taken the book to read the section on metalworking, but it was far more encyclopedic.

He rested the book beside Kristen before continuing along with the conversation.

"Yes, gold should be just fine and it will likely hold up. I would not put the hand under too much magical pressure, or it might ruin the gold, but even if that did happen then the hand would just need to be cleaned up and the gold replaced...It would also take a huge surge of magic to do that."

Alistair could only think of a few Dreadlords that could produce something like that in such a focused area.

"The rarer metals would mainly only serve to handle large amounts of arcane energy, or they may even provide unique changes to your magic that I am not exactly sure about. However, you are right that they might not be worth it for only two years."

Alistair would be lying if he said he did not want Kristen to pick the rare metals just so he had a chance to work with them.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

At first the gleam of curiosity was small, but when Alistair set the book down on the desk and Kristen got a proper look at the title that gleam became a full-on shine. "Fascinating!" she said to herself.

She had to tear herself away from it once he started to speak again. Mostly it was reinforcing her decision that gold was sufficient, that it could be delivered as early as tomorrow and Alistair could get to work right away, but he then said something which caught Kristen's attention. Caught it quite well.

"Unique...changes, you say?" she said, with a slowness of tongue that hinted, along with her upward eyes, that hopefully possibilities were skipping about in her mind.

Blessings. Kristen had always wanted access to that aspect of Divine Magic. Could this be a way?

"Might you speak more on that? How...gosh, how would that work? Would those rarer metals foster changes to magic that I already have, or, perhaps, expand that of which I am capable?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"It's hard to say. I am by no means an expert, but it has been confirmed that many of those rare materials have unique interactions with the weave. For example, mithril is prized among dwarves because it seems to resonate well with dwarven magics. I am by no means an expert on any of this, but divine magic is rare to begin with, so it stands to reason that it would interact strangely with arcane metals."

Alistair had never bothered to ask Kristen about her divine magic, but judging from the name, it likely meant that her magic came from a deity or at least her faith in the deity. That type of magic, while sharing many technicalities with purely arcane magic there were enough differences that made them distinct forms of magic.

"That being said. It could also have negative interactions. We would need to do testing before we included such metals onto your hand."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Testing," Kristen repeated, rubbing her chin with her left hand, now giving the idea more consideration. Gold, as she'd said, was the most expedient option, and, from Alistair had said, a sound and reliable one at that. Yes, this was supposed to only be for two years, but a lot could happen in two years to stress the enchantments of the hand. And, hopes of gaining insights into the aspect of Blessings aside, she—why not just say it?—could use any edge available to her to catch up to the proficiency and skill-level of her peers.

"I could write to my father and see if an arrangement can be made to deliver a small assortment of these metals for such tests. Even if the worst comes about and they all turn out to be unsuitable, still we would have gold to rely upon. Yes...yes, I think this would be a good next step."

She flashed Alistair a little grin, as if they were both shopping in the market for a perfect piece of jewelry and they might have just found it.

"I can see how these practices of runesmithing, crafting, and all the like can be engrossing. Why, I must say the potential is exciting!"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"That is always the best part."

Alistair could have fist pumped in excitement at the idea of getting to work with so many rare metals, but of course, he did not. That would be unprofessional.

"The runes themselves will also take a little research for me to engrave them. My specialty is arcane runes, I do not interact that much with the divine, but I am confident I can find enough to work with."

He continued to flip through the book on the metals as he tried to figure out potential changes if any that would develop in its interaction with Kristen's magic.

"This work satisfies the same portion of the brain that is used for solving puzzles. You can keep trying new combos until finding the answer to what you have been looking for. It is both exciting and rewarding."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

One of the things which always captured Kristen's fascination was the differences in people; in how they thought and in how they saw the world, in how they expressed themselves and in what did they find enjoyment and satisfaction. The social life of a noble was replete with occasions to meet new people. Here at the Academy it was, of course, much different, weighted toward bad experiences as much or more often than good ones, yet this simply made the good ones shine all the brighter.

Listening to Alistair convey his passion for his craft was one such experience. Through a different lens did he see the work before them, his excitement surely deeper than Kristen's own—it was a joy to see for herself.

"Indeed."

She stood from the chair. And, oh it just had to be noted, that she felt a lot better about everything now as opposed to when she had sat down.

A little research needing to be done, he had said. "I suppose that works out splendidly then, for it will take a small matter of days for my father to procure what samples of those rarer metals that he can, what on such short notice and all. Shall we reconvene later then, and see about testing them?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Yes, that will work nicely. Just inform me a day or two ahead of when you will be able to bring in the materials...We might need to make an appointment for one of the blast rooms."

The blast rooms were bunkers used for the training of the more...destructive initiates. Built to handle the strongest of destruction magic, it would be the perfect place to experiment with potentially chaotic forces.

Alistair had made his way back over to the shelf and was not looking up several of his rune books. If he recalled correctly, one or two of them did mention divine magic so he could start there.

He had her measurements for the hand, and there wasn't much purpose in continuing the design process until he was sure of what materials he would have. Although, he may come up with a few more designs while he had free time.

"If your family decides that gold is the best choice then just let me know and I will get started right away."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

The mention of the blast rooms (Kristen never having set foot in one of them yet herself) was of mild concern, but it was more so overshadowed by the brimming hope of a coming answer to her woe. Everything could be made better, and this was a step toward it.

"Wonderful! I shall keep you apprised."

* * * * *​

Days later, it was in one of those very blast rooms that Kristen and Alistair would meet. In her arms she carried a crate, its lid loosely stacked atop it and a stray bit of packing straw sticking out. The task was somewhat awkward with only one hand, but the Pirian servant who had delivered the package to the Academy helped place it into her waiting arms, and from there it was just a matter of balance (and endurance, put Proctor Magomo's physical training certainly helped!).

Alistair had to open the heavy door of the blast room, though.

"Alright! So. Thanks to some exquisite coincidental timing from a few foreign merchants, my father was able to acquire samples of mithril, adamantine, and Deep Iron, all three of which—"

She stopped suddenly, her attention grabbed by something whose novelty was arresting once she noticed it.

"Does it...always sound so strange inside of these blast rooms? 'Tis both very loud and very quiet."

The acoustics of many a grand hall were not lost on Kristen, but an enclosed space such as this, with its thick, reinforced walls, produced an unnervingly oppressive atmosphere. Well, shouldn't be too long in here.

Right?

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

She had actually managed to get her hands on some of the metals. Alistair excitedly checked the last of his equipment before hurrying to meet Kristen at the blast room that he had reserved.

When he got them, Kristen was already there waiting so he quickly pushed open the large heavy door. It had been some time since he had been in one of these rooms, and they always seemed to have a way of making whatever was done in here feel extra dangerous.

"Yep, nothing in here to absorb the sound. It would just be destroyed otherwise."

Every blast room was divided into two sections. One section was supposed to be where individuals could hide and observe the explosions that usually occurred in the second section.

"Can you just place the box on that side? I'm going to start with some runes."

Alistair pulled out a piece of pure white chalk that looked pretty normal, but he had specially bought this because he had heard this was better for divine magic runes. He would start with something basic, then...he would Kristen choose where to begin.

"So, where do you want to start?"

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen did as instructed, catching on rather quickly as to why the room was shaped in the manner it was. One side of the room looked relatively pristine, and the other...worn, to say it charitably. Blackened shadows on the "danger" side of the room seemed imbedded into the reinforced stone surfaces themselves. Goodness, mayhap Selene Avar herself once used a room like this to hone her own powers!

In the crate she got each of the samples sorted, stacking the little ingots to their own sides. Luckily, each of the three different metals were very distinct in how they looked, so there was scarce chance of getting them mixed up. One less thing to worry about! And, fortunately as well, at least one of each ingot was crudely labeled with a scrap of parchment, such that Kristen, inexpert as she was, could identify which was which.

"The Deep Iron was the most expensive, so...I suppose there."

She had one ingot in hand, ready to present to Alistair. Furthermore, she'd be ready to duck behind the dividing wall when the test was prepared. One some level she couldn't help but wonder: just how bad could it be?

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Good of a reason as any."

Alistair acknowledged while he finished up the rune. He took out a simple clear piece of glass and placed it on one line of the rune. There was a moment of inspection as Alistair wanted to make sure the rune was perfectly crafted. The smallest mistake could lead to the biggest disaster. Satisfied with whatever he was looking at, Alistair got up and move to join Kristen on the other side of the room.

He handed over a piece of glass, to Kristen, that was similar to the one he placed in the rune circle.

"We need to activate the rune with your magical energy. I want to make sure that the metal is reacting to your magic specifically. This glass will serve as a conduit."

Al took the piece of Deep Iron in his hand, and his eyes were relaxed yet intense in their inspection. He willed his brain to take in every small piece of information from the metal, such as weight, feel, appearance, and even the way his own magical energies moved across it. He was careful not to actually have his energy interact with the metal, as that could be its own problem.

He hurried over to place the metal in the circle before running back to join Kristen in the safe zone.

"Alright, we are good to go. Just give it some energy, and let's see what happens."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Sound enough. Channel a modest amount of magic through the glass and see what happens with the Deep Iron—from behind the safety of the dividing wall, of course. Gosh, how volatile could these reactions potentially be? And who was unfortunate enough to first discover this fact, that certain magics and certain metals might not mix?

"Well, here's to hoping that the luck my father had in procuring these samples hasn't run its course." And she couldn't stop herself from adding, "Though I suppose gold would be pretty enough."

A touch embarrassed by it, cherry blossoms on her cheeks, she rushed passed it, declaring, "Right! Here we go."

In her left hand she held the glass, and there she began to direct some of her formless magic. It wasn't often she did this, using formless magic, other than when Proctor Magomo wanted to give her arcane fatigue before setting her to some task, such to make it extra difficult. The glass reacted, its glow so soft that it seemed an apparition, but it was in fact there.

The Deep Iron on the "danger" side of the blast room, however, apparently did not. There was no sound, no light, no magical feel in the air, nothing.

"...Am I doing this right?" Kristen asked, looking to Alistair and then the glass and then to Alistair again.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair smirked but made sure to do so while Kristen was not looking at him. He truly believed that Kristen was probably one of his few friends whom he got to see what a normal girl acted like. The Academy usually removed those types of ideas from your head before you had a chance to even think about it.

He could not imagine those like Ral or Evie ever saying something out of the prettiness of metal, but with Kristen, it just seemed normal and adorable.

Alistair was using his own senses to follow the magical energies in the room, and judging by the glow in the glass, everything was working properly.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's work. It seems like Deep Iron is a dud. Most will be, but we are hoping for a rare reaction."

Alistair moved to replace the bar of Deep Iron with Mithril. The two bars looked like opposites in appearance. Deep Iron was dark and had a rough-looking texture. Mithril was light and incredibly smooth for a metal, it also felt too light to be considered a metal.

Once the new metal was set up, he moved back to his spot and smiled at her.

"Give it another go."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Well. Hopefully there was another use for the Deep Iron. Father implied that it was the most expensive of the bunch, so it would be awful if it simply fell into disregard. But, mayhap if the mithril or the adamantine produced a good result, then the purchasing of all the samples would therefore be worth it.

Mithril, then. Up next.

Kristen shifted back behind the dividing wall after Alistair set it up and came back. With the lackluster result of the Deep Iron her apprehension of some catastrophic ordeal was diminished...and her guard was down.

"Very well. The praises of mithril are oft sung, so I'm hopeful. Right. Let's...see..."

The glow of the glass.

And then a horrid screech, POP, a flash of brilliant light, some metal groaning that faded over a few seconds, and at last an acrid smell that came wafting from the danger side of the blast room to the safe side. Kristen had flinched hard enough at the loud bursting pop that she had nearly dropped the glass. She glanced around sheepishly, her gaze settling on Alistair by the time that acrid smell touched her nostrils.

"Oh...I should like to think that was a rare reaction." She laughed nervously, trying to scratch the back of her neck with a hand that was no longer there and not even realizing it. "Perhaps if I'd access to more tomes on Celestialism I would know why Aionus, um, disfavors mithril."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was looking down at his notebook, only partially listening to Kristen as he quickly scribbled down even the smallest detail from the Deep Iron testing. He could always do more testing later with other magics. After all, chances to test Deep Iron were rare.

His attention was grabbed by its throat and held in place as his eyes shot toward the metal. There was a brief moment of fear that the metal would explode and throw fragments over the room, and he prepared to throw up a shield. Thankfully, that never happened but there was certainly a reaction.

"Yes...I believe that you are correct."

Al slipped from the cover while taking out a handkerchief to place over his nose to ward off the smell. He carefully picked up the now warped metal and looked it over.

"Incredible...be sure to let me know if you find anything on it. It could also not be Aionus and it might just be your own magical signature that might not mix well with the metal...Interesting."

That only left one metal left. Alistair excitedly moved to place the final piece, Adamantine, into the circle. The golden and hefty metal was difficult to easily carry, but Alistair was eventually able to get everything set up, after checking the circle to make sure that the last test had not ruined any of his runes.

"Alright, we should be ok to move on."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

...it might just be your own magical signature...

Kristen's brows arched up, and rapidly did she blink. Not so much was she offended, no, just surprised. Classroom instruction was great, and she very much liked to read about an activity to an in-depth degree before trying it, but she was finding time and time again here at the Academy that there really was something to a more practical, hands-on approach. It felt like this small session of testing was worth a few classes on the same.

Anyway, her own signature, could it be?

"Mayhap it would be prudent then to turn down gifts of jewelry forged with mithril then." A funny thought occurred to her, and she covered her mouth with the back of her sole hand as she laughed, "My, what an awful way to ruin a wedding, say, with a dowry as explosive as that!"

She sighed delightedly as the thought and the laughter passed, and then it was time to move on.

"Adamantine, then. It shall either be this or gold."

And she again channeled formless magic into the conduit glass.

At first, it seemed like the Deep Iron. Nothing. But the effect was so subtle that Kristen nor Alistair could yet notice it until they got closer. An aura so faint as to be nearly invisible wreathed the sample of Adamantine, and, should one put their ear close, a harmonic resonance could be heard. The Adamantine held Kristen's Divine Magic well, even if the effect appeared understated.

But she didn't yet know. Exasperated, she said, "Another poor reaction, it would seem."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

A look of disappointment spread on Alistair's face as he looked to the adamantine with no chance whatsoever to show.

"I wouldn't walk around in absolute terror of mithril. Thanks to the runes and the glass, your magic is being directly channeled through that metal. Even if you wore mithril jewelry, you would have to actively channel magic through it to get a similar result."

He turned his attention back to the metal and moved to go retrieve it. Maybe it was all a bit to much to ask for. With all the rare metals in the world, to think that Kristen may have been one in a thousand to be able to react with these three metals was a bit of a long shot.

Alistair reached out to grab metal, and even at close range, he did not notice it immediately. It was only when he touched the metal that he felt the soft resonance and his ears picked up on the soft sounds.

"Kristen, do you hear that?"

It might have been wishful thinking, but Alistair hurriedly moved to hand off the piece of adamantine to Kristen.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

When first she started following Alistair over to the adamantine, she had begun to resolve herself to gold as the solution for her artificial hand. 'Twas not a bad thing, of course, just a little disappointing that these rarer metals were all unsuitable.

When Alistair touched the sample in the center of his rune circle and spoke, however, that spark of tentative excitement came back.

Kristen traded the conduit glass for the piece of adamantine. Even before she completed the motion of holding the ingot up to her ear, she could feel...something. Something special, for lack of a more precise word, between the contact of her hand and the metal that was touched by her magic.

Her eyes shifted left and right as she listened carefully—the task made much easier by the all-encompassing quiet of the blast room.

"It..." she smiled delightedly, "...sounds as though the metal is singing!"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Singing? Ok, I guess they could call it that. He quickly handed off the metal and retrieved his own notebook. He mouthed the word resonance as he wrote down a couple of notes.

Now that he knew what to listen for, the sound of the metal was easier to pick up on even though he wasn't holding it anymore. The sound was nice, but it remained to be seen what the magic was actually doing to the metal.

If all the magic did was make the metal make noise then not only was the metal not worth it, it could actually prove to be dangerous for Kristen in certain situations.

"Alright, so if it is going to be anything other than gold then it will definitely be adamantine. We still needed to run a few more tests to see what is actually occurring within the metal."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen beamed. Couldn't help it! There was a joy of discovery here in this moment that was deeply pleasing, and a promise of potential that was absolutely exciting.

"Oh, but of course!" And she ventured a guess about those forthcoming tests Alistair might have in mind, "Mayhap comparisons between adamantine and gold? Seeing which performs better with regard to my specific magic?"

If there was an upcoming class on runesmithing or enchanting in her future, Kristen was beginning to feel that she would ace those tests with little effort, merely from basking in the glow of Alistair's acumen on the subject!

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair nodded in agreement at Kristen's idea of comparison since it did seem like the logical next step. He had brought some gold for this very situation.

However, the new tests could potentially be more dangerous, since Alistair wanted Kristen to actively be holding the metals this time. He pointed to a target painted on the wall at the end of the room.

"We will try you targeting that with your magic. Use gold and adamantine, offense and defensive spells, give us as much information as possible."

Alistair had moved over to a portion of the wall and placed his hand on it. There was a soft hum as several runes lit up across the walls. This was the final safety measure of the blast rooms, runes equipped to cast defensive barriers, or even counterspells if the situation became too dangerous.

"That should be enough for this next part."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Time flew by in the testing. Mayhap it was the unchanging stillness of the blast room which muddied one's perception of minutes and hours, mayhap it was the parade of testing, recording, tweaking, and testing again, but before Kristen knew it she'd reached arcane fatigue and, likely, the sun was in a far different position outside and aboveground.

Kristen did as instructed. She used what spells she knew: her primary Conjurations (having her Chains and Crucifixes in contact with the metals in various ways), the College magic she'd learned (and which carried her signature). Alistair was diligent, of course, jotting down details which Kristen surely would not have noticed.

No startling experience like the mithril though! The gold and the adamantine behaved, and that was quite good. It made for a pleasant experience actually, even if by the end of it her arcane fatigue was starting to leave her a touch physically exhausted as well.

Through it all, the results matched Alistair's predictions well. Gold was a reliable base, a 'workhorse' of a metal for this sort of purpose, but the adamantine—the rarer metal—showed no signs at all of stress, even when Kristen poured copious amounts of her available magic into it. If anything, the adamantine seemed to be reinforced by the presence of the Divine Magic.

And, of course, the matter of that...intangible feeling whenever she touched the recently imbued adamantine.

She did so now.

"I do not know how to describe it, Alistair," she said, her fingers brushing down the surface of the sample. "'Tis a feeling like a fleeting whisper in the ear: ephemeral and faint. Yet I know that it is something special, and I know that I do not feel the same with the gold."

She looked off, pulling out a specific image from memory. "Peculiar. My favorite necklace back home is made of gold."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"...Alright, then we will put as feel good, not gold."

Alistair joked back at her, while actually writing some more stuff down in his notebook. The pure amount of testing that they had performed had given him valuable information. He had a few hypotheses for what was occurring with the adamantine.

"You can like the look of something without it being the best for you."

He checked back with his notes to see how exactly he wanted to explain this.

"So, magic is just the expending of energy. From what I can tell, your magic is creating a resonance with the adamantine. When they mix and match the same frequency is also causing less energy to be spent. In theory, this could mean that not only could you use more magic, but the adamantine will hold up far better than the gold."

Adamantine would have helped out better than gold anyways just from his hardness, but with it matching the resonance of Kristen's magic...it would take a truly mindboggling amount of magic to actually make the metal begin to break down.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

...Alright, then we will put as feel good, not gold.

"I— what— you!" Kristen said, seeming having gone through three different emotions just then. "That's so terribly clever!" And, good-naturedly, she covered her mouth with her hand, her risen cheeks peeking above her uppermost finger as she laughed into her palm.

The adamantine did have a similar hue and shine to gold, though. Why, perhaps it would in fact be the best of both worlds! She'd like the look of it in her artificial hand and it would be the best for her.

Alistair went on to explain the 'resonance' the adamantine boasted over the Deep Iron and the mithril. His words, like the adamantine itself, were like a lovely song to her ears. Every little bit of good news was to her beleaguered ears most welcome!

"Brilliant!" she said, that excitement of sheer possibility coming around again. Then she asked, "Have you had occasion to work with adamantine before, Alistair?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Um, well...not exactly."

It was adamantine, the Academy did not exactly give that stuff out to practice on. He had been surprised that Kristen's family was able to get some. However, he had read plenty about the metal and had even gotten the chance to watch a master's work with the metal. That was probably enough, right?

Besides, it wasn't like he was making a sword with the metal. He just needed to heat the metal up and then he would use it to fill the lines he created on the porcelain hand.

"It won't be a problem though, as the whole procedure should be rather simple."

He looked back down at his notebook to review some of his notes. Never stop working, they stay. In truth, Alistair was just trying to hide the light blush of embarrassment. He had gone out of his way to suggest this rare metal, yet he had never even worked with the metal.

Kristen Pirian