The Runic Alchemist

An hour should be enough to at least start working on a sword for Einar. He had promised, after all. He could decide which project to start for himself as he worked. It would be a good distraction.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Before starting on the metal, though, Damian began by sketching the sword and the runic circles he intended to use. The weapon needed to last a long time, so nothing too complicated—activating it shouldn't harm the blade much. Einar had mentioned her affinities with Water and Fire, so something to suit those elements made sense.

Then again, most Pathfinders used runic items to wield elements beyond their own affinities with ease. So something useful and not common.

An Air Blade Shield for defense seemed ideal, but to save mana and increase durability, Damian decided to modify it to a small rectangle just a few centimeters big, enough to cover her slim upper body. While Air Blade was technically an attack spell, Damian saw this as a far better use of its potential. Air also consumed the least amount of mana. He custom-designed it to be really thick and sturdy—durable enough to block second-ranker projectile spells two or three times before showing signs of breaking.

Einar excelled in close-quarters combat and possessed impressive control over her aura. Yet Damian had noticed she lacked a collection of advanced spells—ones with enough punch to turn the tide of battle. Well, that had been the case during the war. She might have addressed that gap since then, but a reliable, once-a-day advanced spell would still be invaluable. It would impact the blade's durability with overuse, but Damian trusted Einar to wield it wisely and use it only if needed.

After some thought, he chose Vidalia's Fire Birds spell. Not exactly the same as the Spellmaster's version—it had been scaled down to suit the sword. The birds or more like just one bird was smaller, but the flames retained the same scorching intensity. Anything larger would overwhelm the sword's structure on multiple uses in a single day.

And, as with all of his runic creations, the sword had the ability to gather mana from the environment in addition to drawing directly from the user. Though seemingly simple in function, integrating this feature into a traditional runic array was anything but easy. The mana nodes became significantly more complex and numerous when this functionality was included, which is why it was typically reserved for larger runic structures, where the mana-gathering component could be incorporated separately into the main design. It was distinguished by a unique glowing, palm-sized runic circle infused with elemental colors when fully charged with mana, rather than featuring simple engraving of runes.

The Fire Bird spell in particular had cost him many sleepless nights to perfect. Without direct control, the fire birds would simply shoot forward, spitting flames wherever the wielder willed them. For maximum maneuverability and precision, Einar would need to use mana threads to take full control of her own runic weapon's spell. It would be a good challenge for her.

Satisfied with the schematic, Damian nodded and got to work.

The whole process had taken just under ten minutes.

He ran his hand along the row of steel ingots stored in the wooden compartment, each one cool and solid beneath his fingertips. He picked one—not anything special, just solid enough to get the job done. Einar didn't need a masterpiece. She needed something sharp and dependable.

Carrying the ingot to the forge, Damian watched the firelight flicker across the smithy, bathing it in a warm glow of red and orange. Heat blasted against him as he slid the steel into the flames. He waited for it to reach that perfect cherry-red before pulling it out and laying it on the anvil.

The hammer came down, each strike a sharp clang that echoed through the workshop. Sparks burst into the air like scattered stars. The metal bent and stretched under Damian's skilled hands, slowly taking the shape of a blade.

As he worked, he began the spell imbuement process, channeling his mana deep into the steel. With every blow of the hammer, Damian filled the blade with mana nodes, focusing intently to ensure every gap was addressed. His hammer rose and fell, sending sparks scattering across the smithy.

He worked quickly, flipping and shaping the metal with practiced ease. The blade began to take form—sturdy, simple, and sharp. The spell imbuement was extremely fast too, still he took his time and made sure to reach all the way inside the glowing red metal and not miss a single gap to make it reach as best a quality grade as possible.

Instead of using the standard double-circle method for switching between spells, Damian opted for simplicity and utility. He placed the Air Blade Shield activation point just below the hilt, where it would be easiest to access while fighting. The Fire Birds spell, on the other hand, was anchored in the blade's sturdiest part, requiring Einar to touch the middle of the sword to activate it. He kept the mana node systems for each spell entirely separate.

That was not how traditional runic swords worked since the mana nodes were really hard to manipulate if one had less than excellent control over it. So most runesmiths always kept the same system for all spells, not messing with the established sysytem. He on the other hand had no such problem, meaning he could change the node system however he wanted to suit his needs.

The imbuement was done. And the sword had also taken a quite nice shape.

After some more thorough shaping, he plunged the sword into the quenching trough. steam hissed and swirled around him. Lifting the cooled blade, Damian inspected it. It wasn't fancy, but it would do. Strong enough for Einar, and that was what mattered.

The hilt and finishing touches still needed to be added, but the main body of the runic sword was done. He could even check its grade too now.

------------------------------------------

Item: Crimson Talon

Tier: High

Origin: Made By Primordial Metal Shaper

Item Type: Runic Weapon (Wind, Fire)

Find your next adventure on empire

Description:

The Crimson Talon is the result of a promise kept between two friends—born of inspiration and a never-before-seen forging technique. The Primordial Metal Shaper, A skilled Runesmith, The Lost Child of Time, had decided to try something new that day.

Attributes:

Durability: 99%

Activation Time: 25 seconds / 59 seconds

Cooldown: 3 minutes / 17 hours (After each use)

Runic Alignment: Tier III

Special Effects:

First of Its Kind : A boon granted for the weapon that has been made with a never before seen technique. (Phoenix Rebirth)

Phoenix Rebirth : Upon being destroyed protecting a promise made, the weapon can reform itself in the promise keeper's hand.

-----------------------------------------