ULTRAMagic Interlude

Chapter 13

"Stupid welder! Don't fail on me now..."

"Tusk? Why aren't you using Alchemy for this?

He stopped what he was doing and lifted his face shield. "Donia, I don't need to call on the powers that be for something this simple."

"So what are you making?"

Tusk held up three plates that started to form a hollow cube. "This is something I want to try for making Rubedo Stones. I really don't want to use my Philosopher's Stone for every mundane transmutation. The issue is that I suck at making Rubedo Stones though..." He reached into a jar and pulled out a gurgling, hissing, repugnant thing. "Turning Earth Spirits into stones is easy enough..." Tusk squeezed the malignant entity, causing it to glow brightly before turning into a red stone in his hand. "...but these are only good for 5 to 3 transmutations before they break and turn to dust."

Donia processed the dilemma. "So what's the deal here? With this weld?"

"Iron: Star ash, ideal for alchemical work, and fantastic for keeping ornery spirits in line..." An iron box with sacred symbols etched into it began rattling at the far end of the workshop. "QUIET YOU! I will start throwing you against the wall again if I have to!" The box immediately calmed down.

"Honey, what's in the box? Me and Auda have been concerned..."

Tusk gestured for the two to put the face shields down again. "It's a fire djinn I captured back during my training... Don't open it." He then went back to welding, managing to get all sides of the cube attached to each other.

Next Tusk needed a metal plate for the base of the cube. Rummaging through his scrap pile, he found a thick piece of metal that was only slightly rusty. Assuming he only had four uses from his Rubedo Stone, he reluctantly got out his Philosopher's Stone and performed a quick transmutation to get rid of the rust. Using the Rubedo Stone, he made four perfect cuts in the plate so it lined up with the cube. Annoyingly the stone broke and the welder began acting up again. Having gotten fed up for the final time, he growled and finished the job with a transmutation.

"Well there you go. Was that so hard, Sleepybark?" Donia playfully chided.

"No..." Tusk groaned back. A kettle began hissing loudly, snapping him out of his mood. "Oh good, it's ready."

"What's ready?"

Tusk carefully poured himself a cup of hot water, then dropped a tea bag into it. "Dad dug up one of mom's old recipe books. This tea mix apparently helps one relax and sharpens the mind."

"You. Drinking tea? Since when?"

"Since I got back..." He took a sip. "That's pretty good. Dad's insistence."

"Can I have some?"

"Sure. There's another tea bag right there." Tusk took another sip and sighed. "You know? I don't know if the armor is my magnum opus anymore..."

Donia gave him a look as she sipped her Tea. "What makes you say that?"

He thought for a second. "It's a good project, but now I feel like there's a new idea out there, waiting for me."

"And to think that several months ago you were content to be just a tree out in the forest..."

Tusk groaned again. "I know, but that wole adventure with Blood lit a whole new fire under my bum that got me thinking... Plus the stuff I brought home."

The two finished their tea just as someone threw open the door. "UNCLE TUSK!" This startled him.

"ARGH, Damn it! Auda! Don't startle me like that..." Once he fully realized what was going on, he quickly rushed over and held her by her upper arms. "Please, for the love of the Source, tell me you went to see your parents!"