[Flashback] Enchanting Death (Solo)

by **Eridanus** on April 18th, 2012, 6:39 am

Day 83, Spring of 505 AV
MCL4
Early Afternoon

Eridanus revised the reading he was assigned in the previous session. He had read up on it immediately after that session, but many days had passed since then and he was afraid that he might have forgotten. He was in the lab earlier than usual, and while waiting for Wejerx to arrive he was reading a copy of Treongi's journal on the part that talked about sharpness at length. Most of it was theory as to why his method of Resonant Harmonics would work, and various proofs outlining its effectiveness. The page ended with a note by the editor, Professor Stonemiller himself, that the University had adopted his approach as the fixed standard for Resonant Harmonics.

That meant that it was likely that they would use the same method, and that made it even more important that Eridanus fully memorized everything about it. Knowing Wejerx, the older Magecrafter would most likely test him unexpectedly, and also expect him to execute the procedure reasonably well since he was given this amount of time to prepare.

The object that was to be enchanted had not arrived, and he assumed Wejerx would bring it with him. Flipping a page, his eyes furiously followed the illustrations that was presumably drawn by Treongi, burning the image into his memory so that he would not forget it later on.

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 1:05 pm

The heavy door of MCL4, or Magecraft Laboratory Number 4, creaked open, and the boisterous form of Professor Wejerx entered, his diminutive eyes darting quickly over the lab and finally settling on his student.

"Eridanus! You're early as usual. Good good," He exclaimed, making his way towards the pedestal immediately. Removing a package from his robes, the professor unwrapped the cloth package he held in his hands, revealing a small ornate dagger that had a golden hilt embossed with intricate design patterns meticulously carved into it. Placing the dagger carefully on the pedestal, he gestured towards it as he walked towards the main area where tools are kept, motioning for Eridanus to start preparations.

As they passed by each other, he halted the vantha with one hand, saying, "Don't use the same trigger, my hands are tired of poking. Use a toggle system instead of a constant-activate system."

Eridanus thought for a moment, clarifying, "So if you touch it once, it goes down. You touch it again, it goes up?"

"Yes yes, something like that. I'm tired of having to constantly put my hand there. I'm getting old, you know."

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 1:17 pm

His mind focusing on the new algorithm that he would design using glyphs, the vantha made his way to the pedestal, taking a moment to admire the quality craftsmanship that went into the dagger. He was not a blacksmith, but he was a swordsman and he could appreciate quality blades when he saw them. The hilt of this dagger was obviously well made, but the steel edge seemed well-balanced. The stretch from the spine of the edge was perfectly equivalent as far as he could tell, and the density seemed to be fine as well.

Out of curiosity, he consumed a little djed, enough to last for a few seconds of aura-viewing. The djed structure of the dagger came into view, though he focused on the steel edge rather than the hilt. What he saw amazed him, for the internal structure was as well-defined and well-formed as the exterior. In fact, the perfectly aligned djed pathways of the dagger could only mean one thing - it was made of Isurian Steel.

Shaking his head, he decided that he had dithered long enough, putting his palms over the weapon as he focused on the astral resource within him. Extracting the formless substance as he mentally pulled on this resource, he allowed his djed to drip and fall all over the pedestal in a shapeless clump, covering the dagger and pedestal as he continued extracting the substance.

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 2:28 pm

When a sufficient amount of djed had dripped on the pedestal, Eridanus used his hands to mould the substance into a dome-shaped structure over the pedestal, fully covering the dagger. Gently patting the astral resource into a consistent shape and depth, he began weaving the djed tapestry to form the instructions he was aiming for.

Primarily, to absorb djed as per usual. Secondarily, to absorb noise. These two instructions combined were a potent alliance in tasking against sound while keeping the shield's longevity. As he placed the finishing touches on the tasking patterns, he began to add glyphs to the shield. Using the shield's very djed as the material for his sigils, he rewove a new pattern, yet maintaining the essence of the old pattern such that the original tasking would be not be affected.

Creating the familiar shape of the trigger sigil, he added further glyphs that clarified the trigger's status as a toggle. Within the glyph he specified touch to be the deciding factor in activating this toggle. Putting the final patterns into place, he smoothed over the shield again, the djed structure shimmering partially before disappearing from physical view, now only to be seen by means other than the mundane.

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 2:50 pm

"Tell me, Eridanus. What rhythm did Treongi suggest for enhancing the sharpness of a weapon?" Wejerx's voice suddenly boomed out from behind just as the student completed the shield and the necessary glyphs.

Turning around, Eridanus accessed the short term memory from the last minute memorization, replying, "A rhythm that boils the blood, that brings anger, that urges the primal animalism in oneself. While Treongi did not specify an exact rhythm, he suggested that all variations of beats that follow his guidelines would work if they had been sonically defined to certain technical specifications he outlined in the Appendix, which has been adopted in the form of glyphs in fixed protocol Paradigm instruments the University uses for Resonant Harmonics."

"Excellent!" Wejerx grunted. His student did his homework properly after all. "Try whatever rhythm you have in mind then. I'll supervise and stop you if necessary. Begin the prior operations." With that, Wejerx picked up an oval-shaped piece of glass that looked like a two-way mirror, peering delicately through it at the ornate dagger on the pedestal as he tapped the shield once, deactivating its anti-noise tasking.

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 3:00 pm

Searching for the specific tuning fork on the cluttered desk of instruments, Eridanus gestured for Wejerx to prod the shield again to enable the shield. It was standard practice to ensure that the Primer was serviceable before using it. Moreover, due to his inexperience he needed to make sure that the glyphed tuning fork he was holding was indeed the Primer instead of the look-alike Transitioner.

Tapping the desk gently, a shrill note rang into the air, confirming his thoughts. The note was singular and unbroken, which meant that it was serviceable and fully usable.

"Please toggle it again, Professor Wejerx!" He called out, silencing the tuning fork by placing his hand on the item. Wejerx nodded and prodded the shield again, and now there was total silence in the lab, both wizards not making a sound so as to not corrupt the magecrafting process.

Tapping the tuning fork against the desk, the same shrill ring permeated the laboratory again, Eridanus holding it while looking at Wejerx for the sign when he should continue with the next step.

Upon the professor's nod, he stopped the ringing, replacing it on the desk as he picked up the mini-drum that was the Initial Pusher for structural enhancements. Pounding on the customized glyphed item, he glanced up every five beats for Wejerx's sign, and when he got the sign he stopped, and Wejerx prodded the shield to activate the shields.

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 3:05 pm

Wordlessly, the vantha headed to the side of the room, hauling the large war drum closer to the pedestal as he did so. It was a heavy instrument that had various glyphs carved and written into it to fulfil various sonic definitions demanded by the various fixed protocols regarding Resonant Harmonics magecrafting operations. More specifically, it contained the sonic definitions for structural enhancements in the Resonant Harmonics Paradigm.

Placing the heavy but expensive object closer to the pedestal, he picked up the drum stick, stating clearly, "I'm ready, Professor," to which the older magecrafter deactivated the shield once more.

The sound of anger and urgency.

Eridanus began a slow beat, as if telling a story. All stories began with a calm, before introducing a conflict to raise the tension. That was what formed a plot. With the beats of the drum, he started a tranquil tone to the story, a slow and lazy beat.

Every once in a while, he skipped a beat, or introduced second or third beats within the same rhythmic interval. That signified the subtle jarring tension that was about to come. It hinted at a future conflict, and created a foreboding atmosphere in his story.

The sound of tribes. Or primal hunger.

He imagined a pack of wolves finding the scent of a possible prey. The prey sensed the wolves chasing it. It ran. The wolves ran. The pack of predators hunting the desperate prey, speeding through the jungles as nature took its course.

His beats followed.

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 3:33 pm

The sound of clashing. The sound of conflict.

The wolves transformed into men. Savage men that ruled the jungles with their wit and brutality. Now they hunted other, weaker men. Survival of the fittest. Nature's law of evolution applied artificially by men wishing to conquer and expand. Their hands held spears, throwing and jabbing as the hunted, lesser men fled.

The drum beats followed. The rhythm that simulated the savagery of jungle warfare, that replicated the terror as the weaker men ran as fast as they could.

Survival of the fittest.

The sound of combat.

The sound of war.

The jungle evolved into plain grounds. It was a battlefield. It was like back in the times when Suvan and Alahea waged open warfare. Siege engines, entire regiments of calvary and pikemen. All advancing from trenches towards each other, as casualties massed in the thousands.

Eridanus blinked.

Where did he get that imagery from?

There is only fear. True fear. Men turned on men. Life passed on directly from Kihala to Dira. The circle of reincarnation churned with energy, as Lhex received numerous visitor after visitor. Some passed on, some remained out of vengeance.

Ok, this is getting too real.

Yet, he could not stop. The rhythm deepened, hastened with urgency and terror. His arms pounded the drums automatically, for he could not stop.

by **Eridanus** on April 25th, 2012, 3:40 pm

"Stop! Stop!" Wejerx cried. He had already prodded the shield to activate the tasking before shouting. Though he would not care to admit it, his face was flushed with adrenaline, as his body experienced effects that it would not usually have as a result of the war drums. It was said that music offered a direct path to the soul, and it seemed that this was one of those instances.

"That was an excellent job, Eridanus. But where in blazes did you ever get those beats from?" He exclaimed.

The professor's interruption shook the vantha out of his reverie, causing the student to be pulled forcefully out of his frantic trance. There was a single clatter as the drum stick fell to the ground, and he shook his head. The imagery of the battlefield and the terror of experiencing it all first-hand began fading from his mind.

Even as he clawed at the realistic memories in his mind, they all faded without the drum beats, and he soon returned to normal. Shrugging at the professor, he dragged the heavy war drum back to the corner of the room, returning to the magecrafter for further instructions.

Wejerx noted that his student's face was still pallid, and he sighed, gesturing.

"Most of the work's done here. I'll finish up with the cooldown, since the weapon is pretty light anyway. Go get a rest."

Still partially in shock and surprise, this event remained on the vantha's mind for the rest of the day. As he left the laboratory, he decided to do further research onto the exact magical specifications of the war drum. This was not the only experience, and he wondered if certain sigil correlations of the enchanted item caused him to feel that way.

Perhaps it was a past life experience.

Perhaps not.

Who knows?

by **Cascade** on April 30th, 2012, 5:43 pm

Adventurer's Loot

CHARACTER's Loot :

Now I want to know what the deal with the war drums is. x_x If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me!