[Flashback] Tuning the First Chord (Solo)

[Eridanus]

Day 4, Spring of 505 AV
Late Morning
MCL4

"Welcome welcome!" A boisterous voice boomed out from within the laboratory when Eridanus tentatively pushed open the door with the large number "4" emblazoned on its door. It was officially known as MCL4, or Magecraft Laboratory #4 in the cavern of magecrafting laboratories in the University of Zeltiva. Positioned underground, it was shielded physically and magically from the rest of the non-magic student population in the University for their safety

He had been here only a few days ago, having had his virgin experience with magecrafting though he was mostly a follower, merely following orders but not knowing why or what he was doing.

That was going to be corrected today. Unlike most professors, Wejerx refused to give lectures in the halls or classrooms, instead choosing to have his students or apprentices do hands-on while he lectured. He believed that absorption of knowledge would be most efficient when a student is instructed as work is being done, instead of merely listening.

The only preparation he gave Eridanus was the standard introductory handbook to Magecrafting that all students in this course would get. However, all it did was vaguely describing what magecrafting was, what it could do, with brief explanations of various terminologies such as "MC steps", "Structural enhancements", "catalysts" and the like. It would serve as an excellent supplement to actual magecrafters, but as it contained no actual knowledge in terms of practical know-how it was useless to non-magecrafters except as trivia.

[Eridanus]

"I don't usually do little projects like this, but for your sake I took on this one," Wejerx told Eridanus amicably, before ushering him closer to the pedestal.

This time, there was a simple steel hammer placed on the pedestal, surrounded as usual by complex optics and instruments which purpose escaped the vantha.

"I assumed you read that handbook I gave you?" Wejerx inquired, continuing only after he saw Eri's nod. "Ah... despite your image I knew that deep inside you're the studious type. Call it a hunch..." He broke off with a wink. "Anyway, I think that book is pretty useless, but Stonemiller insisted that all students read it. Don't worry, after I'm done with you you'll know so much more than that useless jumble of words!"

With that, Wejerx strode over to the pedestal, pointing at the hammer.

"A blacksmith in Zeltiva wanted his forging hammer to last longer. I told him to stop being a workaholic, but he insisted that he wanted better tools. Well, he's been using glyphed hammers but we all know those pitiful constructs won't last long. Now that he has gotten richer from his craft, he wanted something that lasts longer. Therefore, we shall proceed with an MC1 Operation. We shall imbue a Structural Enhancement in terms of Durability to this forging hammer."

Wejerx picked up a tuning fork from a nearby table cluttered with instruments and equipment of various baffling shapes and sizes, handing it over to Eridanus for his inspection.

"This is a primer. Well, it's also an excellent tuning fork if you happen to play the lute, but please don't use this for that mundane purpose; it's rather expensive. In Resonant Harmonics we focus largely on the use of sonic waves to impact the internal djed pathways of items. As such, we must prime the pathways in order to introduce further sonic distortions. Now tap it gently against this table."

Eridanus complied, and a beautiful single note rang in the air, the shrill monotone of an 'A'. Wejerx nodded, and continud, "Remember that sound. Always check the Primer before you use it, if it gives any other sound than this unbroken note it means that the Primer is no longer usable and must be either sent for servicing or replaced. Now we shall begin. Don't be nervous, just tap it gently against the hammer on that marble stand."

[Eridanus]

A single note rang into the air again, but this time there was an added timbre to the quality as the hammer vibrated along with the tuning fork. Eridanus handed the tuning fork back to Wejerx who calmed the vibrating object with his hands before returning it to the cluttered table. The ringing was reduced to a low hum as the sound now only originated from the hammer.

"Take note of that," Wejerx said in a lower voice. "As long as the hammer vibrates, with that low hum, it means that it is susceptible to initial manipulation."

"Will our voices affect the item as well?" Eridanus interrupted.

"Why do you think I lowered my voice? I haven't really tested out this theory yet, since Magecrafting is too expensive for me to try it out on a mere whim. Theoretically it should."

"If I shielded the item against sound would it help?"

Wejerx stared at the vantha for a couple of seconds before letting out a guffaw. "You're ahead, Eridanus. You're ahead. Go ahead then, do it. This makes it much easier for me, yes it does. Now I don't have to waste a few weeks teaching you how to do it."

With Wejerx's encouragement, Eridanus silently approached the hammer, calling on the djed within his body as he did so. The astral material within his body exited through his palms, floating effortlessly before his hands as he mentally shaped the djed into a partial sphere enclosing the hammer.

[Eridanus]

Using the marble pedestal that the hammer was lying on as the support hinges of his shield, he carefully shaped and reshaped the shield, molding it until the texture was reasonable consistent throughout the shield to cover possible flaws and weaknesses.

Finally, he began weaving the djed threads within the shield, first adjusting the tapestry to form the arbitrary 'sense template' he often used for such taskings. Making sure to direct the shielding direction such that it blocked against exterior interference, he ended the tasking instructions with specifics on 'sound'. Adjusting the taskings further, he ensured that the shield would block sound from coming in but not from coming out, before giving it a final inspection and striding back to where he was.

Wejerx glanced at the shield briefly before nodding, "That will do for now," He remarked in his normal conversational voice.

"Where was I? Right, priming. Each MC step requires priming, then an initial push which decides what kind of enhancement you're going for, whether it be structural, intellectual or whatever. The initial push must be given only while the hammer is susceptible to initial manipulation, which is when it vibrates. Further shapings - such as the shouting you did when you first came here - does not require the hammer to vibrate, but is needed to to finalize the enhancement if you want it to be permanent."

[Eridanus]

Beckoning for Eridanus to follow him, he approached the hammer, continuing his little lecture, "In our case there we are only doing an MC1 operation, which means a single step. This means that we only need to use the primer once, and conduct a single initial push towards Structural enhancement on the item. Further shapings will then focus on Durability. Of course, there are many other complexities regarding even the primer and initial push steps, but we shall reserve that for later classes, shall we?"

Wejerx walked closer to the shield, inspecting it more critically before he frowned and pointed at it, "That was an absolute tasking, Eridanus. You do realize that as long as the shield stands we cannot get sound into it. Therefore we cannot proceed with any magecrafting that relies in Resonant Harmonics."

"Should I-" Eridanus began, only to be cut off by Wejerx.

"Remove the shield? No, we want the shield here. However, what you should do is implement a Boolean trigger to the shield so that we could allow sound in if we wanted, and block it otherwise. Think of a reasonable trigger."

Thoughts raced through his mind. He knew that using a trigger word - while common - did not make sense especially if sound was the sole task of the shield. This mean that he had to use other senses possibly, and for now he settled on touch. That should be the most sensible one in this situation.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus approached the marble stand that was the pedestal, plunging his fingers into the shield but being careful not to touch the weakly vibrating hammer. He rearraged the pattern of the tapestry, using the djed strands themselves as components in glyphing sigils as he weaved a consequential glyph upon the core of the shield.

Using a trigger to precede the actual tasking instructions of the shield, he instructed the shield to only follow through with its tasking should there be any point of physical contact on the shield. If there was none, the shield was not follow through to its intended tasking and therefore do nothing.

Putting the final strands of both the modified taskings and the innate glyph within the shield, he withdrew his finges from the shield, the magical construct glowing white for a brief second to signify its finalized taskings. Wejerx grunted in satisfaction, noting, "It's a crude attempt, but a good try considering the amount of time you had."

"Now, there are many ways to instruct the Initial Push opon the item. At higher levels there are intricate theories regarding this, but for you we shall stick to standard conventions. Leave the innovations to us professors, eh?"

Picking up a miniature recreation of a wardrum and its even tinier drumstick, Wejerx handed it over to Eridanus as he explained, "The cutting edge researchers of Resonant Harmonics have developed a short-cut in this case, and this item is the product. We can discuss its theoretical implications, but for now you just have to know that this drum will provide the necessary sound to provide the Initial Push towards Structural Enhancement."

Striding closer to the pedestal, Wejerx added, "Make sure not to make any other sound except the wardrum. When I touch your shield keep banging on the drum and not stop until I release my touch on your shield."

Before Eridanus began, the professor said quickly, "Wait, my understanding of your modified shield is correct, is it not?"

"Yes it is, Professor Wejerx. No worries."

[Eridanus]

"Always good to double-check," Wejerx remarked, before he used a single finger to prod the shield gently.

Upon contact, the shield glowed briefly to signify that its trigger had been activated, and Eridanus began pounding on the drum furiously. Though tiny, the sound was somehow amplified from the drum, and images of savage tribes running through the wet jungles of Falyndar was impressed upon his mind as he beat the drums.

It was harder than it looked, since it looked like a Pycon-side wardrum than one meant for normal-sized humanoids like him. There were quite a few times when he almost missed and smacked his own hand with the stick, but he soldiered on, beating the drum in a consistent rhythmn as if he were the drum-master in an army.

Wejerx kept his finger on the shield, but used his other hand to drag up one of the large magnifying glasses attached to one of the tables near the pedestal. Squinting through it, he observed the item through the glass for a while before he released his touch on the shield, nodding while continuing to look through the glass.

Eridanus stopped the pounding, breathing a sigh of relief as he did so before carefully placing the instrument back on the the cluttered table.

Wejerx hummed to himself as he took observed through that strange oversized item before he pushed the glass away.

"Good, now the hammer is primed for structural enhancements. Come over here," He said, gesturing for Eridanus to pick up that oversized magnifying glass. "Look through this, can you see a kind of glowing aura coming from the hammer?"

Indeed, the glass appeared to show images that his physical vision could not, and he could see a faint glow.

[Eridanus]

"This means that your priming is successful. There are different kind of glows that map to different types of enhancements, but rest assured this drum is designed such that it can only result in Structural pushes. We will explore this topic further in later classes."

Eridanus returned the glass back to its place, and followed Wejerx to the side of the lab where larger instruments were placed leaning against the wall. This time, he gestured for Eridanus to help him, and together they heaved a large normall-sized wardrum, placing it closer to the pedestal.

"Now is the time for the further shaping to suggest a more precise type of Structural enhancement. For durability, consistent is key. Consistence and time. Therefore, to conserve your energy you'd want a slower pace so that you can keep up that consistent rhytmn throughout the entire duration."

Handing the stick to Eridanus, Wejerx continued, "I will play the role of the observer but I will not reileve you if you are tired, it is up to you to decide on your rhytmnn."

With that, he returned to the pedestal, dragging up several glasses and optics of varying shapes and sizes, placing them above and positioning them such that he could view the hammer through them conveniently.

"Ready!" He boomed, reaching out a finger to prod Eri's shield.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus pounded a single beat on the drum. And another. Yet another.

It was a slow beat, but not slow enough to be mournful. Its speed portrayed a sombre state to the beat, giving it a quality of firmness but never fast enough to be festive. It was roughly equal to two of his own heartbeats, and he made sure to let himself be calm to regulate his own state.

It was a challenge to his vantha self, for Morwen's children were well known for their skill in musical ventures. He now knew why Wejerx was so insistent on getting him an as apprentice, for Resonant Harmonics relied deeply on sound, which was the same thing that music was tied to. It was inevitable that the two overlap.

He had not expected this development, for he thought Magecrafting was a highly scientific art, with more numbers and science. He had not expected to beat drums. Still, it was highly intriguing and this mysterious paradigm of Magecrafting drew him in.

Wejerx continued to nod to himself as he began scribbing on parchment he produced on his robes as he circled the pedestal, taking brief looks through the various glasses he arranged around the hammer. All the while, he kept his finger firmly in contact with the shield, always tracing the circumference of the shield as he walked in a circle to ensure the trigger remained activated.

Eridanus continued to beat the wardrums, but he was no longer basing it on his heart beats. Instead, unbidden to him a sort of rhythmical sense rose within his subconscious, guiding the strikes of the stick upon the drum firmly.

Each beat was instinctively timed, the genetic heritage of his vantha self and possibly his past life guiding every strike, and there was a sort of serene quality that lended itself to the lab. Wejerx continued his own observations, and Eridanus was lost in his own world, his existence secured by the equally spaced beats of the war drums. Compounded by the jarring contrast of the environment, it lended a poetic air to the whole situation.

[Eridanus]

Chimes passed by, and even though his beats were firm and slow the vantha's arms began to tire. Yet, he continued his steady rhythm, continuing the powerful strikes to maintain a consistent volune to the beats despite the beginning burn in his arm muscles.

Thankfully, Wejerx finally released his hold on the shield, and Eridanus breathed a very audible sigh of relief, placing the stick to the side as he massaged his fatigued arms.

"Come, let us offer a prayer to Izurdin," Wejerx said.

"Who's Izurdin?" Eridanus asked innocently, though he knew that Izurdin was obviously a god. One only offered prayers to gods.

"I... How can you not know? Izurdin is the God of Industry, of Creation, of Foundations. With his assistance, perhaps we may create marvels and legends one day," Wejerx exclaimed.

Eridanus was not entirely convinced, and he told himself that he would find out more. It would not hurt to offer a prayer though, and together the two of them dedicated a silent prayer to the God of Industry to bless their creations, and to offer them the strength and inspiration to continue with their work for now, and for the future.

"I think that is enough for you," Wejerx said. "There are other things to do, but I think your mind cannot absorb any more new knowledge efficiently. You are dismissed for today, go play some sports or something."

With that, he returned his attention to the hammer, muttering to himself as he revised the notes he wrote on the parchment.

Eridanus left the lab, mentally going through everything he learned today. Resonant Harmonics was indeed a fascinating branch of the Magecrafting discipline, and he was determined to master it.