Chapter Eight Hundred And Sixty Three – 863

Unbound

In the Glyphworks, far below where Vess and the others were hashing out the details of their spar, a different sort of chaos reigned. Men and women of all Races rushed around, styluses in hand, working on strange metal and stone shapes brought to their workstations by smiths in thick leather aprons and heavy gloves. Mana sparked from every corner of the glyphworks, power swirling through the hands, feet, and mouths of the apprentices as they inscribed complicated arrays across massive panels of high steel, mithril, and hundreds of pieces of arcanite.

“No, make sure you follow the curve of the orbital here,” Atar said, pointing at an oblong slab of the silvery-crimson alloy. “The inset glyph needs the space for Mana to move. Place it at a forty-five degree angle to the tertiary stabilizing sigils.”

“Of course, Glyphmaster.”

Atar gave a satisfied nod and moved on. The apprentices’ styluses rarely paused, and then only to check the master key for their designs. Pieces of it hung around the Crafting Hall, split along the panels that had been delivered by the Forge.

“They’re turning out excellently,” Alister said as he met Atar near the edge of his workstation, his Spirit swelling with glee. “None of them seem to be having issues with the inscriptions! All the work we did to simplify the ancient sigaldry is really paying off.”

“The work you did,” Atar corrected. “I barely contributed. This is your baby. How’s it feel?”

Alister surveyed the Crafting Hall again. “Unreal. And more than a little nervous. What if the assembly goes wrong?”

“We’ve tested it more than once. With Harn forging the alloy, we’ve solved the stress problem. The assembly is simple and the parts are numbered. According to Darius, the Legion will be assembling these in their sleep before long.”

Alister nodded, but from the way he bit his lip, Atar knew he was worried. He’d likely stay that way until the assault.

“Come,” he said, clasping his boyfriend around the shoulder. “Let me show you the other assembly work.”

Atar took Alister around to the opposite side of the Glyphworks, where apprentices were feverishly inscribing armor and weapons. Similar to the arcanite slabs, here the apprentices had been arranged into an efficient pattern, allowing each of them to work on some small part of the overall arrays and speed up their output. It also allowed them to target train particular Skills, pushing them to higher levels faster.

The Eidolon Exalts Eagin and Iiana were there too, pointing at various mistakes or places for the apprentices to improve. Despite their unreliable memories, they were fonts of information for the most unexpected bits, and Atar was happy to have them there. The hulking constructs also lifted and held various materials for the apprentices, allowing them to inscribe at increasingly convoluted angles.

They held up newly inscribed maces, swords, and gauntlets, spot checking them for inaccuracies. They never found a single one. Each enchantment worked perfectly, increasing the durability of the weapons and armor while also providing a few specific effects. Harn and Darius had been quite clear on the types of enchantments that they found useful, though Atar had been miffed that his creativity was being stymied. The Commanders of the Legion claimed it was to standardize their equipment and provide them with a reliable foundation to build battle tactics around.

“Too flashy, too costly, and we end up with broken formations and dead soldiers,” Reed had said to him. “You don’t want that, do you?”

Atar had, of course, said no—even if part of him was more interested in seeing how far he could push arcanite.

yes. i too regret you listening to that ogre of a man, Flame grumbled. muscle-bound mortals like him do not understand the glory we pursue, nor the might hidden behind the sweep of delicate sigaldry.

Atar’s lips squeezed as if he’d tasted something sour. He hated when he agreed with the Urge, no matter the subject. I told you to stop listening to my thoughts, Flame.

and i told you not to think so loudly. we have both failed.

Bah.

Atar put the Urge out of his Mind, at least for a while longer, focusing entirely on the work before him. Their inspection lasted until he felt the tension flow out of Alister’s shoulders and his Spirit livened up its melody.

“The warding array is exceptionally efficient,” Eagin said to Alister, holding up a set of mithril Legionnaire armor. “How was it done?”

“I stole the idea from the stabilizer fins we found in a Nymean ruin, and Atar modified them to work with our power sources.” Alister hefted one of the many Domain cores they had set along the material shelving. It was bigger than his head, but the lithe mage had packed on considerable amounts of Strength.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Those are far too big to power these wards,” Iiana said. “How are they transporting them?”

“We ended up chipping the cores into smaller pieces. Turns out they’re still effective at storing Mana even when broken up, it’s just less.” Atar opened a drawer within the stone storage unit, revealing row upon row up inscribed slivers. They were the size of his fingers and glowed with a faint, almost colorless light. “With a few of these embedded within the array, we can power a number of effects for a few glasses.”

“The Golden Empire incorporated similar techniques. They—” Eagin winced, his stone face creasing along its many folded segments. “The method is unclear. Perhaps they used cores too, but the jagged edges of my memories suggest another way.” 𝙧α₦Ｏ฿Ɛȿ

“Hm, something to consider for the future,” Alister said.

“If we have a future,” Atar muttered, closing the drawer and locking it again. “Let’s hope these work well enough to see it happen.”

incinerate them all and claim what remains, Flame intoned. anything else is begging for defeat.

Iiana hummed. “I knew a great many generals who raged as you do, Urge. They were swallowed by it, in the end.”

i do not rage. i am the undying flame. i burn.

Apart from his Urge’s grim words, the inspection went well. Atar and Alister eventually moved back to his workstation, where the remnants of his many projects were laid out on the counters, and he could watch as Mana flared and flowed among his apprentices. There was also another component fueling their work: the Nascent Fruits.

The Fruit had been delivered to the Glyphworks earlier that day by purple-cowled Claw members; dozens of the large Fruits, each glowing a pale blue that Atar found strangely comforting. After providing an explanation for the gift, they had been swiftly passed around, many of the apprentices encouraged to eat at least one as they worked. Atar watched as a few of his apprentices licked their fingers before diving back into their work.

Atar himself had tried one earlier. They were quite sweet, and he felt a piece of what he supposed the lesser Tiers were feeling.

they tasted of weakness and citrus. i like neither, Flame groused.

Originally, Atar had been ecstatic to see them. Already many inscriptionists had pushed into Journeyman Tier on several of their primary Skills. What they learned, of course, was that while effective, the Fruits would only be effective for so long. They had diminishing returns on the same person.

For Atar, the effect was essentially nothing. For some of the Apprentice Tiers, they could push up to three of their Skills through Temper before the Fruits had nothing left to offer, at least not without a great deal more.

"They're not weak," Atar said. "I'm sure enough Fruits would push all of their Skills to Journeyman if we got enough.”

“It's easier just to practice the Skill or learn more about it,” Alister added. “Consuming as many as they'd need would be a task in and of itself."

shortcuts to power, Flame scoffed. we have no need of them.

Atar chose not to mention the fact that Flame consumed heat and fire Mana for the exact same purpose. He didn't do so out of kindness. If he had mentioned it, Flame would go on another tirade, and Atar had better things to do with his time.

"You know," Alister said, chewing through one of the fruits, "they're not that bad. Besides, they got a little zip to them. I can feel it," he said, swallowing. "It’s like a weight in my center, in the spaces between the machinery, you know?”

“That must be the significance acting on you. It does build up," Eagin said, approaching the Glyphmaster’s workstation. He stroked his chin with a stone finger, the sound like a mortar and pestle grinding against itself. "My Pillars, long since Lost with my true Body, were quite difficult to establish. Significance was key to a strong foundation.”

“Do you have Pillars anymore?" Atar asked.

"No. When we are transferred into the Exalts, our advancement is frozen. Further growth is not possible within our fabricated Bodies. But I can still remember pieces of what it once was. My Pillars were the standard nine, and they were built from the stalwart Skills of a warrior. Hew The Forest, my axe Skill was matched by my Roar Of The Earth to fortify my old flesh. Each Pillar was woven with one of those nine Skills that I built up through every single Tier, from Beginner all the way to Master and beyond."

"Yes, that's what the notebooks say," Alister said, tapping his waist, where a buff-colored book was tucked away. "But they do not go into much detail."

"What is most important,” Eagin continued, “is that they were woven with pieces from all of the rest, each one a strand from the other eight. Every Skill matters. That is the key to a solid foundation."

Eagin tapped Alister lightly on the chest, barely brushing his battle robes. "You are who you choose to be, and this is where those choices are made manifest."

"I see," Alister said, "and I think I understand." He picked up another fruit and bit into it.

Atar smiled and considered his own core. It burned with fire more than ever before. Felix had stopped by to help them a few times, guiding them along their way with Fiendforge and his own advice. He was getting all of the pieces in order and had left soon after, but he'd been the one to suggest that the Fruits might help Alister bolster himself.

Atar, of course, didn't need the help. All the fire and heat Mana that Flame had consumed and taken in was there, ready to be used. Burning a hole through his core, as if seeking his foundations whether Atar was ready or not.

He opened up the book that Zara and Felix had developed and given to them, flipping to the section concerning weaving his Pillars. He just had to check over a few things, and then he'd be ready.

yes, Flame said from within, spreading his burning wings, and then domination!

"Just hold steady," Atar said, ignoring the Urge's outburst. "I'll handle the rest."