[Toadstool Cluster] Ride Like The Wind (Solo)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

64th Day of Spring, 512 AV "The next project," Anasella said, "is a set of horse shoes." "'Orse shoes?" Tock asked, scrunching her face up and snickering. "Magic 'orse shoes? Really?" Anasella handed her a slip of paper. "Indeed," she said. "They require a specially trained horse, to prevent it from injuring itself. But they can be imbued with a Behavioral enhancement that will cause them to propel off the ground with greater speed. Thus, assuming the horse is trained to compensate properly and avoid breaking its legs, it will be able to run much faster." Tock looked at the address written on the piece of paper and shrugged. "Who's ever in 'at big of a 'urry?" she asked. "Knight messengers, mostly," Anasella replied. "Or anyone travelling on important business for the city government. They're rare and expensive, so they're usually reserved for those travelling on life or death business." Tock nodded, figuring it was more useful than color changing mood trees. She held up the piece of paper and asked, "So what's 'is fer?" "The address if the blacksmith who is making the shoes," the Professor replied. "They should be ready by tomorrow evening. Fetch them on your way to class, and bring them to MCL5." Tock sighed reduced to 'errand girl' again, just like with Archimaneus. She turned to leave, fully ready to go home. Then she looked at the address on the paper, and a thought occurred to her, sending a smile across her face. First she had to stop at the library and pick up some books about spiders, for the little side project she was working on at home. Then, before class tomorrow, she would have another special stop to make.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock was down at the blacksmith's shop by sunrise. She had classes later today, so she needed to be here early if she wanted to do what she planned. The blacksmith, a large, burly man with a bald head, gave her a forced smile when he walked up and saw he already had a customer. No doubt he would have preferred business to come in a little later in the day. "Can I help you, Miss?" he asked in a professional tone as he unlocked the front of his shop. He swung open two wide doors that took up most of the wall. Blacksmithing was hot work, so most shops tended to have doors like this to allow a great deal of air flow into the building. "I's 'ere fer some 'orse shoes," she said, looking into the shop with a smile. "Fer the Uni." "Uni?" he asked with a frown. "Oh, the University. For Professor Anasella, correct?" Tock nodded. "I believe I told her they wouldn't be ready until this afternoon. I'm sorry, you'll have to find back later. I haven't even started them yet!" He forced a smile, chuckling softly. "Aye, so let's get started, aye?" she replied, stepping into the shop and looking around. She picked up a heavy hammer, testing its grip and its balance. The blacksmith followed her in with a confused frown. "Umm, I'm sorry Miss?" he said. "It'll take a few hours. I can't really have you waiting around..." "Oy, I ain't waitin', mate!" Tock said with a grin. "I's 'ere ta 'elp!" The blacksmith rubbed his bald head, looking at her the way most people looked at her every day. "I don't really need..." he said. "Sure ya do!" Tock replied, checking over his anvil with a huge grin. "Let's git 'er done, aye?" He was frowning now. "Miss," he said, "I assure you, I am quite capable..." Tock turned to him and folded her arms. "Oy, what," she said, "ya gonna turn down free 'elp?" He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "Well," he said, "I don't have an assistant, and my last apprentice moved to Syliras last year, but..." He looked her over appraisingly. "You've... done this sort of work before?" he asked. "Aye," she said, hefting the hammer again. "Spent a few months 'prenticed ta a chap in Nyka, last winter. Plus I done worked metalsmithing in Mura, carpentry in Sunberth, an' now I's a woodcarver. I work fer ol' Jack, up on the 'ill." The blacksmith frowned for a moment, sorting through her words. "Jack on the ill?" he asked. "You mean... Jacques on the hill? You work for Jacques?" "Aye," she nodded, "'at's what I said! So, let's get started, aye?" She was getting impatient to get to work. The blacksmith stepped over to the forge and prepared to light the fire. "An extra hand is always helpful," he said, still with a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. "But I don't understand why Professor Anasella sent you here? She's never sent anyone to assist me with my work before..." "Oy, she didn't send me," Tock said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I jus' wanted ta come!" "Why?" the blacksmith asked as he began using flint and steel to light the fire. "Oy, mate," Tock replied, "I's gonna be enchantin' 'ese 'ere 'orse shoes, aye? Well, I don't never enchant nothing what I ain't 'elped build what wit' my own two 'ands." As a craftsman, he couldn't argue with that logic, so he agreed, and they set to work.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"You've worked as a striker, then?" the blacksmith asked as Tock worked the bellows to heat the forge. She was already sweating, her red hair damp and stuck to her face. "Aye," she said. "'At's most o' what I's done." The blacksmith nodded. It was the most common task for an apprentice. They worked quietly as the forge got up to the proper heat, then the blacksmith placed four iron rods in the heat to begin. Tock continued working the bellows as needed until the iron was glowing a yellow-orange color that indicated it was ready. The blacksmith then pulled the rods out one at a time, using a long pair of tongs. He measured the length of them against the specifications for the size of the horse shoes, and marked a point to cut. Tock placed a heavy chisel at that point, and with several hard swings of the hammer, cut through the metal to get it to the right length. The blacksmith then set the rod back in the heat to keep it at the right malleable temperature, and pulled out the next one. One after the other he measured and directed Tock where to strike, until all four were the right length. He then pulled the first rod back out, and they began to shape it. The blacksmith held it with tongs against the curve of the anvil, and Tock switched to a heavier hammer. Her arms were already a bit sore, so she held the hammer propped against her shoulder until she got he signal to proceed. The blacksmith lined the metal up just so, then tapped a point on the rod with s smaller hammer. Grunting with exertion, Tock swung the hammer with both hands. Likely the blacksmith himself, with his bulging muscles, could have handled it one handed. But, working girl or not, Tock was a small girl and just not that strong. After the swing she heaved the hammer back onto her shoulder, taking deep, slow breaths. The blacksmith made an adjustment to the angle of the rod, tapped it, and she swung again. They worked steadily, Tock showing more and more signs of exhaustion as the work carried on. The blacksmith's expert hands adjusted the metal after each stroke, so that it would bend at just the right places. The metal was slowly curved into the shape of a horseshoe, guided by the blacksmith's hands and assisted by Tock's aching muscles. Once the first horseshoe was shaped, Tock sat down to catch her breath, letting her arms hang limply at her sides. "You're out of practice," the blacksmith said with a chuckle, as he began punching out the holes for the nails that would attach the horseshoe to a hoof. "I's a woodcarver," Tock replied breathlessly. "I's used ta detail work, not strong work." She swung a hammer to drive nails often enough at work, but that was nothing compared to bending iron. She was going to be sore tonight. The time it took the blacksmith to put the finishing touches on the shoe was enough for Tock to be ready to go again, though she was still aching. They started on the next shoe, tap, strike, adjust. Tap, strike, adjust. As they continued Tock started to anticipate where the blacksmith would tap, and they started to build up a rhythm. It was almost like music, tap, strike, adjust, the blacksmith the conductor, and Tock the musician following his lead. By halfway through the last horseshoe, Tock's strength finally gave out. "Take a seat, lass," the blacksmith told her. "I'll finish this one up." She wanted to protest, but she had no breath left to speak. So she just collapsed on the bench, away from the heat of the forge. Her lungs were burning, her arms felt like molten iron, and her clothes were so damp and sticky with sweat that she thought she was underwater. When the blacksmith finished, he dumped a bucket of cold water on her head. She barely had the strength to sputtered and gasp for air. "Can't have you passing out from heat stroke now, girl," he told her. She would have smacked him, if only she could lift her arms.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

By the time she recovered enough of her strength to move, the horseshoes had cooled and were ready to go. She thanked the blacksmith for letting her help, tucked them into her bag, and headed to the campus. The rest of her morning was spent with Professor Beadle in the gadgeteering lab, going over the calculations and measurements for the Automaton spider she was working on at home. She then went home and spent the afternoon carving the legs for the spider, since her Magecraft lesson wasn't until nightfall. By the time she was due to meet Professor Anasella, she was exhausted. She was barely awake enough to walk as she entered Anasella's office. And, of course, the Professor wasn't there. Tock groaned, slumping into the chair. The very comfy chair. With the soft cushion, and the high arms she could lean into, and a big enough seat she could curl her legs under her. Her arms were still aching from all the hard work earlier, and she'd had a long day. She curled herself up in the Professor's chair, hugging the bag with the horseshoes to her chest, and drifted off to sleep.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Some time later, Tock awoke with a snort. She looked around blearily, wondering why she wasn't in her own bed. Then she realized she was still in Professor Anasella's office. The teacher was at her desk, working on some writing by the light of a single candle. Without looking up from her work, Anasella said, "I don't prefer students sleeping in my office. Tock sat up, yawning and rubbing at her eyes. "Sorry," she muttered. "What time is it?" She couldn't believe she had fallen asleep like that. But between working full time, attending her classes, and working on her own side projects, she was busy every minute of every day. It was no wonder her exhaustion had finally caught up with her. "Past the last bell," Anasella replied, still writing. Tock groaned. It was after midnight? She had WORK in the morning! "Is it too late ta get ta work?" Tock asked, holding up the bag with the horseshoes. She didn't want to miss this lesson. Anasella asked her, "Do you desk you're refreshed enough to focus? I can't have you in the lab if you're going to be falling asleep during a project..." Tock got up aid stretched. "Oy, I feel great!" she said. She'd gotten about a full night's sleep, considering how early it had been when she passed out. Her sleeping schedule would be out of whack for a few days, but she was awake, alert, and ready to go. "Very well," Anasella said with a smile, setting her papers aside. "Let us get to work." She got up, taking the candle to light their way, and led Tock down to the labs to work.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Have you any experience in Glyphing?" Professor Anasella asked. They were back in MCL5, with the horseshoes on the pedestal, mounted on a rack that held them upright. "Nah," Tock said, scratching her head. It had never come up in her studies before. "You should learn it," Anasella replied, lifting a finely tipped paint brush. "It is a crucial skill if you want to truly master Magecraft." Tock nodded. She wanted to learn everything she could. She'd have to look into taking Glyphing next semester. "I'll give you a brief lesson now," Anasella said, waving Tock over. "Just two Glyphs for today, the two we'll need for this project. But Professor Westwood's full course can teach you a great deal more." She pulled out the hammer they'd be using, and set it on the workbench. "Now, as I said before, a hammer is generally considered one of the cruder tools for this sort of work, and we usually reserve it for amateur students. Given that you have prior experience in the Craft, I'd be inclined to teach you another method, but I'm curious to see what you can do here." On the first day of class, Tock had been quite insistent that hammering was a superior method to use in Magecrafting. She intended to show it today. "The first Glyph goes on the head," Anasella explained, dipping the brush in the paint. She demonstrated on a piece of paper first, etching out a carefully painted symbol. She then handed the brush to Tock so that she could duplicate it. "This is a basic 'reaction' Glyph," the Professor explained. "As you swing the hammer, you generate force. As with all things, Djed is carried within that force. Basic knowledge of physics tells is that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This Glyph will help us control that reaction." She directed Tock to re-paint several more copies of the Glyph, offering corrections on the form of it, then continued. "By controlling that reaction, we redirect the force channeled through the swing. We change it from force of a physical nature, to that of a magical nature. Thus rather than striking with so many pounds of force, you strike with a certain amount of Djed flow. This helps us reshape the Djed within the object in whatever way we desire." Tock nodded silently as she painted out the Glyph again and again, practicing the form. She knew some of these basic principles already, from her previous apprenticeship, though Archimaneus had never explained the Glyphing aspects to her. Finally, Anasella guided her to paint the Glyph carefully on the hammer head, correcting her gently to make sure it was accurate. With that done, they could move on to the second Glyph they'd need today.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"The second Glyph represents 'flow'," Anasella explained. She painted it on a sheet of paper, and handed Tock the brush to begin duplicating it. "It goes on the handle, and will be beneath your palm. This Glyph opens up pathways of Djed between yourself, the hammer, and the item being enchanted. Magecrafting is a very... personal experience. Not quite so much as Animation, where a very piece of your soul is placed into your creation. But still, you are guiding and shaping the changes within an object through this art. It is very important you understand the relationship between yourself and that which you create." "Aye," Tock replied as she began copying the Glyph. "I know. 'At's why I done made the 'orseshoes myself." "Yes, so we... Wait, what?" Anasella frowned in confusion, looking up from the Glyphs to Tock. "I told you to fetch them from town." Tock nodded and grinned, "Aye, I did! But I done 'elped the chap out makin' 'em. So's as I can understand 'em more personal-like, jus' like ya said!" Anasella's eyebrows rose, quite surprised to hear this. It was certainly... unorthodox. "The master smith did oversee the process, yes?" Anasella asked. "Utmost quality is crucial for Magecrafting..." Tock frowned, insulted. "Oy, course 'e did!" she said. "I jus' done 'elped 'im is all, same as I's 'elpin' you." That was what an apprentice was for, after all. Anasella nodded, looking her student over appraisingly. She had Tock continue copying the Glyph until she was satisfied, then guided her to apply it to the hammer. With both Glyphs in place, the real work could begin.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

The viewing lens was pulled into place so that Tock could watch the Djed inside the horseshoes. The Professor pulled a book off the shelf, and showed Tock a diagram of how the Djed flows should look once the process was complete. They spent a few minutes going over the principles behind this particular energy configuration. Anasella explained how the Djed flows had to be arranged just so in order to produce the desired effect. Then the process began. "Gently now," Anasella said, indicating certain points where the strikes needed to land. "This takes great precision, and you must-- oh!" She stepped back as Tock started striking the horseshoe with the same force she had in the blacksmith's shop. She knew the points to strike; they were, not at all coincidentally, the same points she'd struck to give the horseshoes their current shape. Just that morning, she had worked to shape and guide the metal into the form it held now, and she now shaped the Djed in the same way. "Gently!" Anasella protested. "You can't strike so hard! You'll lose precision!" "Oy, 'is is 'ow ya gotta do 'er!" Tock said, striking away with full force. "Gotta make 'er FEEL it!" The teacher might have been an expert Magecrafter, but she clearly didn't know the first thing about blacksmithing. You didn't need to sacrifice precision in order to strike with strength. Whether it be a carpenter driving a nail (something Tock had a lot of experience in), or a smith striking iron, it was all a matter of how you used a hammer, how much control you had over your swing. And while blacksmithing wasn't Tock's strongest area, she had certainly practiced the right strikes for these horseshoes. That was why she had helped make them herself. She knew these horseshoes, had helped birth them from the heat of the forge. Golden sparks of Djed flew with each strike, dissipating into the air like shooting stars. Tock's face glowed in the reflected light of her creation, the metal hissing with each strike, the air alight with power. Her eyes flashed with the reflected Djed, as she struck with Passion and determination. She wasn't an artist, she didn't want to guide something into existence. She wanted to forge it, bring it out by her own sheer will and the strength in her arms. Anasella watched through the lens, tapping her finger against her chin. When Tock finished the first shoe, her teacher looked her over appraisingly. "I must say," she said, "there is something to your method. You need some refinement, to be sure, but the flow rates here..." she pointed at the lens, looking over the energy. "I've never seen anything quite like it. I certainly need to work you through a few kinks, but over time, I think there's a lot of potential here." Tock grinned wide. She knew she wasn't as skilled as her Professor, but being told she had 'potential' filled her with a swell of pride. "Come back next class session," Anasella told her. "I'm going to do the second shoe with Glyph Brushing, and I want us to compare the differences together. I think there are some important points for you to see from a... gentler technique. Some fine tuning that this method lacks." "Aye, like woodcarvin'!" Tock replied with a grin. Anasella gave her a confused look and asked, "Excuse me?" "Oy, Prof, see," Tock said pointing through the lens at the Djed weaves, "when yer carvin' wood, ya don't use a saw fer the whole thing, aye? Ya start wit' a saw, 'en chisels, 'en files, 'en sandin'. It's a process, aye? But ya can't 'spect ta sand the whole thing down from the get go, aye? So's as ya start off wit' the heavy tools," she hefted the hammer, "'en move on ta the fine detail stuff," she picked up the Glyphed brush. Anasella arched an eyebrow, then nodded. "A combination of methods," she said, making a curious, "hmm..." She studied the Djed flows a moment longer, then smiled at Tock and said, "I believe I am going to enjoy the rest of this semester..."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

By the time Minerva came to her next class session, the more experienced Professor had already finished the second shoe, except for some detailed touches to be added. Minerva entered MCL5 and stepped right up to the viewing lens, studying the two shoes. Anasella stepped up alongside her and started pointing out the weaves. "You see these main behavioral weaves, here," she asked, running her finger across the shoe, pointing out the Djed flows. "And here?" she pointed out the others on the shoe Minerva had worked on. She nodded, and Anasella said, "I believe these main flows would be completed more quickly via the hammering. But now you see these flaws along the edges?" she indicated the rough Djed flows that needed to be fine-tuned before the creations would truly be ready. "Hammering would be a poor method for those, don't you agree?" Minerva nodded. "Aye," she said. "Done needs a finer touch what fer the detail work." She had never used another method besides hammering before coming here, but she saw the appeal. Just like using fine files after cutting and chiseling, the detail work needed a finer instrument. The teacher handed her the Glyphed brush, and said, "Let's work on those fine details, shall we? Your skills in constructing the main weaves are already solid. But if you want to learn to craft without direction, its the detail work you need the most practice with." Minerva took the brush, though she would have preferred a file. Dipping it in the specially prepared paint, she began drawing strokes across the shoe she had already worked on, guiding the energy flow of the Djed inside. Over the next few hours, she worked carefully under Anasella's direction, touching up the weaves until they became more stable and controlled. The Glyphs on the brush channeled the energy to flow and shift, becoming stronger with each stroke. This part of the process took longer than the initial hammering had, since it required such great care. When she was finally done, the Professor looked her work over and said, "Good. You're learning more control. Remember, precision is key."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Minerva returned the next few nights to continue working on the project. She worked during the day, continuing the repairs down at the Zeltivan docks, working with her friend James and the rest of her coworkers. She squeezed in time for her personal projects where she could. But when evening fell, she was at the University, working alongside Professor Anasella. When the project was finally nearing completion, Anasella guided her through the final lesson. "Now look through the lens," she instructed Tock, "and tell me what you see..." Frowning, Minerva leaned down to look through the lens, studying the horseshoes. She lifted the book that illustrated what the Djed flows should look like, and compared them to what she saw. They looked right. "'Ey's ready?" she asked, a bit uncertain. The look on the teacher's face told her she was missing something. "Take another look. Try from this angle," Anasella said, pulling the lens to the side. She lined it up so that the view looked down the line of the horseshoes, so she could view them all at once. Minerva looked down, letting her gaze slide from one shoe to the next, rubbing her chin. Something... wasn't quite right. She compared them carefully, then waved her finger at them and said, "Oy, 'ey's not matchin' up quite..." They all individually looked like they fit the criteria outlined in the book, but there were subtle variations in each. "And what does that tell you?" Anasella asked. "Oy, ya can't 'ave parts what don't fit together right!" Tock said. "The 'orse would run all crooked!" She had enough experience building gadgets to know the importance of parts all moving in unison. "Very good," the Professor told her. "While the configurations are within acceptable margins for error individually, they need to be lined up more carefully." Minerva nodded, and set to work, touching up the adjustments that were needed. After a few more hours of careful tuning, Anasella declared the Djed flows were complete. Tock then used a large pair of tongs to dip the creations in the cooling barrel, sending out sparks of Djed and colored smoke until the energy flow stabilized. The shoes were then packed away safely, until they could be sold to help fund the University's budget.