Chapter 1105: Chapter 1104: Fiendish Gear (2)
Chapter 1105: Chapter 1104: Fiendish Gear (2)
Like Anput had asked of me, I sorted through the various bones from that completely non noteworthy Tza Fiend we had killed and organized the pile of high quality materials in order of their mana capacity as well as the mana quality.
It was interesting because certain bones had a higher or lower score that made a lot of sense if you really thought about it, like how the femur had a large capacity but the finger bones had a higher quality, and obviously the skull had been the biggest boon from that fight with a surplus of both waiting for us to make use of it.
The bones location inside of the body seemed to matter more than the actual quality of the bone itself, since some of the thicker bones weren't that impressive compared to the smaller and thinner bones that were closer to areas of higher magical concentration, be it for the spells engraved onto the Fiend's flesh or if it was a location that was just more accustomed to mana flow.
For instance the ribcage was seeped in mana compared to the leg bones, but the femur, fibula and tibia were far stronger in terms of bone density thanks to whatever genetics the Fiend had evolved from, though they lacked a stronger mana presence that the ribcage benefitted from.
It was fascinating and made me more curious about both monster bones and mortal bones since they should follow that same theory as well, and whilst more of me was wondering about how fun it'd be to run the trials to prove that theory, the more focused side of me was thinking about the ramifications that that might have on my healing.
Would restoring a broken rib cost less mana then restoring broken fingers, or does it not matter?
What about completely repairing it from nothing, especially if I were somehow able to repair the same amount of bone that was damaged the exact same amount as the other; would that need more or less skill for me to heal.
It brought up some nice questions that would put my healing skills to the test if I ever found the time to study that, and since I wasn't too keen on breaking my own bones for the sake of 'science' and learning, I would need to wait a little longer to test that theory...
Anyways, we didn't have all of the Fiend's bones sadly, but we still had more than enough that I was hoping that Anput would be able to replace my lost Khopesh with something incredible, and perhaps even expand my arsenal some more with a staff or wand that would help me channel my magic even more than my fingers could manage.
Something that Kolia had drilled into me the last time we chatted, and something that showed I still had so much to learn about this world and myself since I was so damn stubborn and stuck in some of my ways to admit that there were better methods out there.
"Kat, is this a good size or do you want something bigger?"
Anput gently lowered her hammer onto the anvil and lifted a thin bluish disc into the air, the heat still rolling off its surface as she flashed it to me with her mana coated hand.
About two inches or so in diameter, the disc was razor sharp and thin enough that it could be thrown rather easily, though as she cooled it off some more and handed it to me I was rather surprised to find that it was a bit heavy for its size.
"The metal is a bit denser than other metals, and honestly it's still quite light compared to what I would suggest for a proper projectile, but I imagine you'll be using mana to guide its flight, so that is a non issue. I am also taking the liberty to imagine you aren't going to be throwing this dozens of feet?"
Spinning the blue disc around, I pursed my lips and studied it for a few moments before replying "You'd be correct, but I wouldn't mind another quarter, maybe half inch to give me more space for the enchanting. The extra weight would be nice as well, though they shouldn't be much heavier than this. Oh, and you know~ I always want something bigger~!"
Winking at my mate and watching her as she groaned and rolled her eyes was amusing, but as I handed the disc back to her and contemplated another go of flirting someone else walked in, putting that idea down as the need to work flared up again.
"Jahi decided she wanted to spar your Mom, Anput, so... here I am. I figured you could use some more help getting these sufficiently organized and prepared for forging..?"
The Vampire strode in and studied the bones with a curious and hungry gleam in her crimson eyes, surprising us both since we thought she would say something about how close we had gotten to one another, but as we broke apart and settled back down, she blinked innocently and asked "I... didn't interrupt you two, did I? I thought we were going to be working today, but if you wanted to-"
"It's fine, Leone, and no you didn't interrupt; if anything you saved me from the needy and tricky minx over there. Alright, double check with Kat that all of that is good and then work with her to get some enchantment ideas down for these discs; Kat wants to use them to freeze people's hands to make spell casting and the use of enchanted items much harder."
"Like a sort of contained explosion of extreme cold to spread frost to the extremities and limit motor functions?"
Leone's instant turn towards me with a small smile as she asked that was adorable, and I nodded and smiled back at her as I took the first disc from Anput and placed it down, showing her the idea as I carefully - and swiftly - enchanted it with the spell I had made.
Since it was just a test disc anyways, we both had no issue 'wasting' it as we moved away from Anput's forge and found a suitable target, which just happened to be a plain old spear that Anput said we could use.
Fueling the miniature 'fuse' in the Ritual Circle, I timed the throw and flicked the disc towards the spear, launching it right beside the wooden haft and blinking slightly as the disc exploded as soon as the spell activated, the material not capable of withstanding the force of the spell.
That was expected, but it was still a bit shocking to see as the whirlwind of razor sharp winds splintered the haft of the spear before we could even see if it worked, though as the splinters of wood scattered across the grounds the tell tale glittering of frost had already begun to spread amongst them, consuming the wood.
"Well that was... potent. Against an unguarded target that might actually tear their hand apart... interesting. If we were to embed a gemstone into them and empower that spell even more it might just tear through most Mana Cloaks with ease."
Leone just nodded beside me before beginning to gather up the mess we had made, the Vampire sweeping it all into a corner and turning it to ash as she said "Having a few supercharged ones might not be a bad idea. How many were you trying to make though, Kat? Because we could all make use of them in one way or another, so long as they work with unattuned mana."
That made me shrug as I glanced at Anput, who was busy hammering away at the anvil as she churned out the discs for me, completely in her zone as she kept on working; noticing that, Leone shrugged as well and instead turned our focus from that to the bones instead, which
she began to mull over.
"These are all prime materials for some high quality gear even on their own... carving a blade from this femur, for example, wouldn't be a terrible idea. It'd be best for someone who could make the most of the mana ingrained into the bone, but still pretty strong even for the most
basic of warriors."
"That did have me curious; it's all about change with them, right? So whilst you don't really have access to that type of mana normally, wouldn't you be able to tap into it anyways by changing the area around you? Or does it not work like that?"
We both picked up one of the metacarpals, those six to seven inch bones radiating potent mana that was somewhat nauseating to focus on as we studied them, trying to understand how we could make the most of these spoils of ours.
"Potentially... I would imagine that it being used for something magic related in general would yield excellent results, since it was made from that domain; anything that changes from this might just be a stronger product then we imagine. Though that makes me wonder, does that apply to all of the Fiend's?
If we were to - Gods hoping we never do - make use of a Nua Fiend for something alchemical in nature would it provide an incredible product? Does Ka Fiend's parts make for better weapons then the other Fiends? Would the hide of a Sla Fiend make you more alluring if you were trying to seduce someone?"
I muttered "Fascinating... we just have to try it, I guess." as I ran my finger over the metacarpal for a few moments more, admiring the long 'finger' bone and preparing to cast a spell with it to test that theory.