Savyna, Kaen, and Emma are sitting in the shop behind the counter, with several glasses on a small coffee table. The afternoon has just started, and Kaen's stomach rumbles.
Kaen- Ughh. When do we get lunch ?
Savyna, ignoring her, looking at Emma- You're going to want to keep the bulk of the metal as cold as possible, and only heat up the parts that need moulding.
Emma- What ? Really ?
Savyna- I know, but if it's too hot, then the runes will trigger from the energy in the heat and that can be dangerous.
Emma- Ooh wow, I didn't realise-
Savyna- And as for the hammering, we're going to change the method. No brutal shock or collision. We're going to use the pointed end of a tool to draw into the softened surface. You'll also want protection for any skin exposed. Basically until you have the whole sentence written down, the runes are unstable and any energy could trigger it.
Emma- Hmhmm. If you want to do that, the metal needs to be impossibly hot, close to melting.
Kaen- I'm so hungryyyy. Pleaaase.
Savyna- I know, I'll heat up exactly the place we want the next rune to be indented into, and you can just press and draw, instead of hammering. That should minimise the risks of-
Emma- Wouldn't it bend the whole plaque ? Or misshape it at least ?
Savyna, with a smirk- Not if I'm precise enough. Only the surface will get malleable. Also, the plaque will be resting on a flat surface to prevent it from moving. We're going to need some air flow to keep the rest cool. Kaen ?
Kaen- *big breath* Yup, I can do that. But about the lunch situation-
Emma- I usually use water to cool things down...
Savyna- That would work if we had another water mage, and I'll be busy already. Or if it was a one-time cooling process. But this might take a while so we need a continuous cooling capacity. You can trust Kaen.
Emma, taking in all this info- Hmmmm. Okay, I'll get the lead strip ready. Why did it have to be lead again ?
Savyna- We want a high-density material because that sentence will need a lot of energy, and we don't care about the length of time the energy will stay inside since it will be used as soon as we fill it, so no need for the metal to be specifically hard. Lead is known to be the most available metal that fits this need.
Emma- You know a lot about metals.
Savyna, correcting her- I know a lot about runes. Are you ready to start ?
Emma, nodding- Let's go.
Kaen, still sitting while the other two stand up- ... Guys ?
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Savyna- Your handwriting of these runes is passable. Now onto the real deal.
Dozens of paper sheets cover the counter, all filled with the same runic sentence, written over and over again until no space is left on the paper. Emma, pencil in hand, exhales a sigh of relief. She looks at the fire poker and compares it to the pen with anxiety.
Savyna- Take the lead, heat one surface, then put it down here, heated side up. I'll get the surface hotter and you draw. You need to be fast or the metal will cool down too much.
Emma- I thought you said you could just heat it back up ?
Savyna- It's draining. And if we're putting heat back in, might as well use the free fire that's right next to us.
YOU ARE READING
Tales of Six
FantasiIn a world where elemental magic is as common as steel, a young woman discovers she can push the limits of what is possible with shadows. But how ? And why her ? Fire, air, light, nature, water, and shadow are the six pure elements that make up ele...
