Ch167: A Conversation about a Curious Crystal
The vines curling around Krvavy, desperately trying and failing to pry Khalia away from her legs, suddenly go still.
“Ach,” a faint echo of frustration fills that half-sighed sound. “Wha’ is it?” Beryl impatiently addresses the Dwarf... while glaring down at the smug and victorious Were-Beast, who has the audacity to drag their Draconic lover back onto that mossy seat.
“Your Soulbound Weapon...” The grey-skinned shortstack speaks slowly and deliberately, her intense copper-orange eyes piercing into the Drakling’s emerald pair. “Did its description contain the names of the materials that were consumed?”
“Uhh...” Krvavy quickly sifts through the various popups hanging around at the edge of her perception, dragging the correct one into focus. “Yeah.” She nods, “yeah, it does. Why –?”
“The crystal,” an odd intensity underlines Inanna’s normally neutral tone. “What...” With slightly unsteady hands, she reaches over and grabs onto the barbarian’s wrist, stout fingers clinging onto pale skin and black scales. “What does the description call it?”
A tinge of concern creeps into Krvavy’s heart. “It is... a Synthetic Heartstone, apparently.”
Silence hangs in the air for a few long seconds. Inanna’s grip loosens just a little in that time. “I’m sorry,” she sharply exhales, blinking rather blankly and in obvious disbelief of what she had heard. “Did you say that it was a Heartstone? As in [Heartstone]?” The busty Dwarf repeats, saying that word in her native tongue.
“Yes...?” Krvavy slowly answers, only growing more worried – and increasingly confused – as Inanna continues to act so... strangely. “It quite clearly says ‘Synthetic Heartstone’, which is then followed by all of its buffs. And considering that it is a lot better than the other two materials, I take it that... that this is some sort of legendary gem, or something?”
The Dwarf doesn’t immediately respond. Though not for a lack of trying. Her mouth opens and closes, but not a single sound makes it past her dark-grey lips. “Syn...thetic...?!” She breathlessly gasps, finally finding her voice. “A synthetic Heartstone?!”
“Is tha’ supposed ta be special?” Beryl tiredly sighs, already knowing full well that Inanna is just going to talk on and on and on. Which is the final nail in the coffin of her attempts to drag their Drakling off to help her do the dishes... “Plenty o’ gems and crystals are made by people.”
Inanna’s incredibly intense gaze snaps up towards that tanned tomboy. “Do you... Do you not know what a Heartstone is...?” Genuine surprise fills her fairly flabbergasted voice, a far cry from her usual near-unreadable neutrality. She looks even more astonished when that question of hers is answered with a simple shrug. A rather dismissive one at that. “They... Entire wars have been fought over possession of a single one...!”
“Oh.” A faint hint of recognition flashes across the Wood Elf’s face. “Tha’ does sound a bit familiar... Somethin’ about Dwarven greed spurrin’ them onta war wit’ each other and the Old Elves. So much death and loss, just ta claim some prized gems.”
“Prized...!?” Inanna bites back an almost exasperated groan, electing instead to bury her face into Krvavy’s rather large hand. “It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Wood Elves would have forgotten...” Those grumbled words are slightly muffled, at least until she lifts her head away from those awkward fingers. “Your kind were the one breed of Elves who hardly cared for the Heartstones, trusting more in your trees.”
“Aye.” Beryl seems completely unbothered by the slightly disdainful look directed her way. “Why would we need some mere crystals ta store Mana when we ‘ave the glory o’ nature? A great oak suffused in magic will ‘old far more Mana than any gem could ever ‘ope ta, and it’d do so while providin’ fer the land around it as well.”
Inanna bristles a bit at that response, her grip on Krvavy’s wrist and hand tightening even further. “A Heartstone,” she evenly states, “is no mere crystal.”
“Ugh...!” The silver-blonde brat butts in, groaning in open frustration as she tries, and fails, to push Beryl aside. “Just ignore the hag and explain what is so special about that thing already!” She impatiently huffs, crossing her arms in a cute pout.
The grey-skinned shortstack takes a moment to compose herself. She breathes in, bountiful breasts rising as her lungs fill, and then heavily exhales. “Heartstones are... analogous to the cores within each and every one of us.” She pauses, looking slightly disappointed as that statement fails to draw out the reaction she expected. “They produce their own mana. Their capabilities only grow with time and use. They are, in essence, physical imitations of a soul.”
“Then why are they not called ‘soulstones’?” Thea abruptly asks, disrupting the Dwarf’s explanation.
Inanna simply stares at the brat for a couple long seconds, clearly contemplating if it is worth answering that question. “A Heartstone is far more than a mere crystal,” she turns her gaze away from Thea, ignoring the girl’s outraged expression. “You can view them as solidified magic, solidified potential. While others inanimate objects may be made to siphon mana from their surroundings, none but Heartstones can generate their own. They have no intelligence, no will. They are not like Elementals, for instance. They are outliers, doing what only a soul should be capable of. They are unique in that fact.”
“I still think that ‘soulstone’ is a bett–”
“With that so plainly explained in the simplest manner that I am capable of,” the shortstack speaks over Thea’s muttered words, “I am sure that you all can see that there is no greater treasure than a Heartstone. And the one that is now a part of your weapon, Krvavy, is perhaps even more valuable...”
“Is it?” Krvavy hesitantly questions. She doesn’t want to doubt her Dwarf, but... “To me, if something is synthetic then it feels like it should be less valuable than if it was natural.”
“That may hold merit for an ordinary gem, though it ultimately depends on opinion. But, as I have hopefully established by this point, a Heartstone is no ordinary gem.” Inanna’s copper-orange eyes almost glow with intensity as she stares straight at the barbarian, ignoring Beryl, brat, and Were-Beast alike. “You must understand that whatever phenomenon lead to Heartstones forming within the world is almost certainly long gone. They are incredibly rare and utterly irreplaceable. Thus, beyond extreme luck or theft, the only way to get a Heartstone would be to figure out how to make one. And, to my knowledge, those countless attempts have all ultimately failed.”
“Except for this one.” Krvavy lightly exhales, finally understanding why her Dwarf got so worked up about this. She didn’t just find some legendary, near mythical, loot. She found something that should be impossible.
“Correct, my Ushumgal.” Inanna’s dark-grey lips spread wide with pride, their corners curling upwards. “You have made a truly remarkable discovery.” Her thumb slowly trails along the back of Krvavy’s hand, tracing small circles atop those increasingly small scales. “Though I wonder... Just how many throughout history have discovered the secret to creating an artificial Heartstone...? Were they all silenced to prevent war and conflict on an unimaginable scale...? Or had they themselves realized that it would be in their best interest to keep such knowledge close, bringing it with them to the grave...?”
“Ach.” Beryl clicks her tongue. “Ah’ll ‘andle the dishes myself...” She shakes her head and begins gathering up the few bowls that need to be cleaned, looking just a little disappointed as she does so.
Krvavy shoots her Elf an apologetic smile, which does seem to raise Beryl’s mood a bit. “So...” she watches that lithe tomboy head off, athletic hips swaying side to side, before turning her gaze back towards Inanna. “Is it alright that this is now permanently a part of my axe?”
“Mm...” The Dwarf considers that question for hardly more than a second before firmly nodding her head. “Yes. In fact, I would say that it is more than ‘alright’. My arguments have only been strengthened by the knowledge of its true nature. Even if it is not equal to a natural Heartstone... there isn’t a single use I could have had for it that would be greater than the purpose it now serves. Especially since I never would have suspected it to be a Heartstone.”
“And why is that?” Thea squeezes back into the conversation, lifting her chin and staring down at that shortstack with narrowed eyes. “You are smart and clearly know a lot about these ‘heartstones’, so would you not eventually figure it out?”
The grey-skinned Dwarf meets the noble girl’s gaze. The faintest frown finds its way onto her face. “If I were to be charitable towards myself, then I could say that I might have figured that something is ‘off’ about it within the decade. That time is heavily dependent on what we would have ended up using it for, with the more strenuous uses being quicker than the more lax ones. It would need the opportunity to grow before I would suspect it was more than, as the Elf has said, a mere crystal. But I am not sure if I would ever believe it to be a Heartstone. Even now it feels rather outlandish to think that our Krvavy found one of the worlds greatest treasures just laying around in an ancient ruin...”
“To be fair, it was... kinda... defended by that weird golem.” The Drakling weakly shrugs, not too certain about her own statement. It feels more likely that all the crystals down there were simply abandoned and forgotten. If someone wanted this Synthetic Heartstone to be protected, they wouldn’t have left it sitting out on a counter, raised up and immediately visible to anyone who entered that panopticon tower.
Inanna tilts her head to the side... and shrugs as well. “Getting back to your question, my Ushumgal...” With hardly a thought, she pulls Krvavy’s hand close to her chest, pressing its palm against her collarbone. “I fully and completely believe that integrating the Heartstone, synthetic or not, into your Soulbound Weapon was the correct choice.”
“Because now it is harder to steal?” Thea guesses, casually dropping down onto the seat pushed right up close to Krvavy’s own, the one Beryl had been sitting just a few minutes ago.
The Dwarf looks at that silver-blonde brat, a smile playing at her dark-grey lips. “Indeed. That it is functionally bound to our Krvavy’s soul is quite the reassurance against it being lost or misplaced. But...” Her thick brow furrows just a bit. “Having it so prominently on display does, admittedly, raise the risk of others discovering its true nature. Thus, my Ushumgal,” her intense gaze pierces into the Drakling’s very soul. “I will caution you against flaunting it around. Do not let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security by the belief that it cannot be removed from your possession. There are those who would try to do just that regardless of whether it would succeed or not.”
“I understand.” Krvavy solemnly nods. “I’ll try to treat it just like an ordinary gem. And, honestly, I don’t think that it is too out of place. My ‘axe’ already felt like a bunch of weapons mashed together, so it’s like I’ve just added a magic staff into that mix.”
“Yeah, it does not look like anything special either.” Thea sighs in support, leaning against her Draconic lover’s side. “It is just a boring whitish crystal. The only interesting part about it is the shape, which was not like that before it joined that mess of a weapon.” She stretches her leg out and very lightly taps the tip of her toe into the haft of that oversized axe, giving it the weakest of kicks.
That motion draws the Dwarf’s attention down towards the topic of their conversation. Her thick black brow knits together as she stares at that pointy prism of a spearhead. “Mm... My Ushumgal,” she slowly speak up, “your Soulbound Weapon repairs itself, yes? May I... break off a small part of this artificial Heartstone? I am not sure how useful a small piece may be, but it would allow me to analyze it in a more... destructive manner.”
The Drakling opens her mouth to answer, but pauses before even a single word can come out. She honestly doesn’t know if that kind of damage would be repaired. It should be, as it is a part of her weapon now... Though maybe it would count as damage to the material instead...? That feels a bit paranoid or overly cautious, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Then again... it is really only a matter of time until that crystalline spearhead gets damaged in combat, so it would probably be best to figure out if it is capable of repairing itself or not...
“Alright,” Krvavy answers after a few seconds of thought. “Just don’t take it from the tip. I don’t know how long it might take to grow back, and I’d rather not be left without a way to stab something if I really need to.”
“Thank you, my Ushumgal.” Inanna politely nods, dipping her head far enough down for that to count as a bow, before releasing her grip on Krvavy’s hand and rising to her feet.
“Where are you going?” Thea, being the unrepentant brat she is, sneers as she incredulously watches the Dwarf walk across the room, leaving the Soulbound Weapon behind.
“It is easier for me to take the samples here rather than to carry that weapon all the way to my workshop. It is considerably larger than I am, and would be rather cumbersome.” Inanna plainly explains, bending over to pick of her tools. “I brought these over yesterday in anticipation of putting the finishing touches on the kitchen,” she explains, seeing Krvavy’s questioning gaze.
The silver-blonde brat doesn’t seem particularly pleased to hear that. “It... is not going to explode here in our home, in our bedroom, is it?”
The Dwarf pauses with hammer and chisel in hand, thoughtfully looking towards the pointy prism. “Mm... I do not expect it to explode.” She simply shrugs, kneeling down beside the large axe.
“Your conviction fills me with confidence.” Thea sarcastically states as she not so subtly scoots to the side, fully putting both barbarian and Were-Beast between herself and that Soulbound Weapon. A faint pinkish hue colours her cheeks as she ducks into the safety provided by a single strong arm, letting it rest over her shoulders.
“It would be kind of useless as a weapon if a little chip was all it took to explode.” Krvavy points out, trying to reassure her skeptical brat.
Thea does not look all that convinced. “Hmph.” She squirms a little, making herself comfortable.
“So...” The Drakling slowly breathes out, the fingers of one hand idly trailing through Khalia’s black-brown hair while the others brush over the smooth fabric of a sky blue sundress. “Did you do anything interesting yesterday?” She casually asks her beautiful brat.
As they so often do, those soft-blue eyes roll in a circle. “Seriously?” The noble girl huffs, staring up at the Drakling with a look of exaggerated disdain. “Do I ever do anything interesting?”
“So you had the whole day free from me bothering you, and you just sat around doing nothing?”
“Ugh. Fine...” The girl grumpily grumbles. “I spent most of the day practicing my detestable magics. That Dwarf of yours ‘helped’ a bit as well, ‘coaching’ me between long and boring lectures.”
A few sharp clinks fill the air as Inanna begins to carefully chisel at the crystalline spearhead, seemingly unbothered by whatever Thea is saying.
“Have you started working on the emotion or mental magic stuff yet?” Krvavy curiously asks, looking expectantly at her little princess.
“No, not... not really. Some of those dull lectures were about those things, but...” The noble girl dismissively waves her hand as she lets that thought trail off. “I am still struggling to make progress with Eromancy, if that answers your question.”
“Mm.” Inanna idly hums, lifting her attention up from her delicate work. “Are you not going to mention –?”
“Ahem! Do you have any plans for today, my Mighty Dragon~?” Thea loudly speaks over the Dwarf, successfully getting the shortstack to shut up with her complete lack of subtlety. “I am sure that you would just love to push aside the memories of yesterdays pain and suffering by relaxing and indulging in pleasure today, right~?”
The barbarian blinks, very much not blind to what her faintly flustered fiancee is doing. She narrows her eyes... and ultimately shrugs, deciding to let Thea get away with so blatantly changing the topic. “Kind of, I guess. It’d be nice to finish up the kitchen today, as it’s already close to being ready... But other than that, I was kind of just hoping to spend some time with you~.”
The silver-blonde brat’s breath hitches as the arm draped over her shoulder shifts, that hand gently grasping onto one of her own. Their fingers lock together just a few moments later.
“I was thinking that we’d just read together, but if you’d like to do something more~...?”
“N-no...!” Thea hastily stutters, her seductive act completely shattered by the Drakling’s teasing. “Th-that is fine! You need to learn how to read on your own anyway!”
Krvavy smiles, baring her carnivorous teeth in an admittedly predatory way. They both know that those reading lessons will devolve into the two of them having sex. That’s just a consequence of having her brat sit in her lap as they cuddle together.
A sharp crack pierces through the air. “There.” Inanna exhales. “See? No explosion.” She states, rising back onto her feet. She lifts her hand, looking at the small shard held between her stout fingers.
“Are you not going to take any more than that?” Thea quickly asks, eagerly taking the chance to change the topic yet again.
“No.” The Dwarf shakes her head. “The synthetic Heartstone was, unsurprisingly, quite durable. I was unsuccessful in my attempts to create small fracture lines that would allow for me to break off a larger piece in a more controlled manner. Thus, this shard will have to do. I would rather not risk breaking off too large of a piece.”
“Can you tell, well, anything about that bit?” Krvavy curiously asks, briefly glancing to the side as Beryl re-enters the room. “Without having it bring it over to your workshop first?”
“Mm... Curious...” The grey-skinned shortstack narrows her eyes at the little shard, staring at it for a few seconds before her lips twist down into a faint frown. “In function, it now appears to be little more than a mundane crystal: it is no longer accepting mana into it, nor is there any mana for me to attempt to withdraw. Yet there is still a feel of magic to it... And nothing occurs when I Inspect it: no flash of discomfort to prevent my scrying, yet also no information is provided...”
“Is tha’...” Beryl skeptically raises an eyebrow as she gets closer. “Is tha’ part o’ the ‘eartstone?”
“Yeah,” Krvavy responds with a nod. “I figured that it’d break at some point, so might as well have that happen now in a controlled manner. Knowing if it can or can’t repair itself will be important when it comes time to stab something with it.”
The Wood Elf simply shrugs, seemingly content with that answer.. “Was Adeline actin’ normal yesterday?” She abruptly asks, looking between the brat and the Dwarf.
“Ugh...” Thea dramatically groans. “You sound far too worried about that rabbit.”
Beryl shoots that bratty girl a stern look, before softly shaking her head. “Adeline is still sleepin’, but she’d normally be up by now. She’d normally ‘ave gotten up over an hour ago.”
“So? Sleeping in every now and then is normal.” The noble girl replies with a sigh, resting her head against Krvavy’s chest as she oh so casually waves off those concerns. “She is an adult. Stop babying her so much.”
The Elf’s long and pointed ears twitch a couple of times. Her brow furrows. Without a word, she turns to look across the room to where the Halfling is sleeping. The tiny blonde isn’t directly visible, being bundled so tightly in her bedding, but the lump that shows where she is lying is shuddering and shaking a fair bit.
“Is everything okay?” Krvavy asks with a slight bit of concern in her voice, ignoring her brat’s mildly irritated huff.
“Ah’m... not sure.” Beryl’s frown deepens as she quietly responds. “Adeline is... makin’ some odd noises in ‘er sleep. Ya... Ah don’t mean ta blame ya, my dearest love, but ya ‘ave got me worryin’ a bit ever since ya asked if she was actin’ weird yesterday mornin’.”
“Seriously,” Thea groans again, “she can take care of herself. You are not her mother.”
“Ah checked ‘er out before comin’ over ‘ere and... and Ah think tha’ Adeline may be sick.” The tomboyish Elf seriously states, choosing to ignore the silver-blonde brat.
The barbarian’s brow furrows as she meets Beryl’s bright blue-green gaze. “Really?” She worriedly asks, wanting to make sure that Beryl is certain about that.
“Aye, Adeline is burnin’ up. Ah put my ‘and to ‘er forehead and she was far, far warmer than normal.” The Wood Elf gently bites her bottom lip, before suddenly turning towards Thea with narrowed eyes. “Did ya really not notice anythin’ odd about ‘er yesterday?”
“No.” The noble girl coldly responds, meeting the Elf’s accusatory gaze with her typical defiance. “I hardly spent any time near that little rabbit. And even if I did, I doubt that I would have noticed anything out of the ordinary. She always acts odd. There is nothing normal about that rabbit.”
“There is quite the difference between bein’ shy and bein’ sick.” Beryl heatedly hisses back, leaning in towards the brat. “The poor girl is feverish. And ya’re sayin’ tha’ ya didn’t notice tha’?”
“Mm. I doubt that she is sick. At least not in the way that you are thinking.”
Inanna simply raises a thick eyebrow as Beryl, the brat, and the barbarian all turn to look at her at once.
“She is a Halfling, remember?” The Dwarf looks ever so slightly disappointed as everyone continues to stare at her with a bit of expectant confusion, having absolutely no idea where she is going with that. “I can forgive Krvavy for not knowing due to her background, and perhaps Beryl as well, but do you truly not know, Thea? Halfling’s are your peoples’ client race, you shou–”
“Ugh, just spit it out already!” The bratty girl nearly shouts, more than a little annoyed about getting singled out like that. Why is she expected to know something? That isn’t fair.
“Adeline is almost certainly in heat.”