The light from the century crystal bathed the workshop in a soft, silvery glow as Rlyis and Eno stood hunched over one of the worktables, surrounded by a forest of tools, parchment, and shards of Spirit Quartz. Rlyis’s quill moved quickly as she sketched some tentative array patterns in the middle of their discussion.
Lassim had moved to sit, back against against the wall, with one of the smaller shards in his hands, studying it, after watching them argue over the finer details of how to use the Spirit Quartz and the unique crystal as the centerpiece in their Semi-Spirit Mystic design for the last two hours.
Lassim found himself tuning out from tiredness at this point. Rlyis and Eno were deep in discussion about the array patterns needed to regulate the flow of Spirit Sense between the shards, their voices blending into a low hum with the soft light of the crystals.
"If we use a triple-layered array," Eno was saying, "we can create a buffer between the main shard and the supplementary shards. That way, if the main shard is overloaded, the energy can be redirected without destabilizing the system."
"Triple-layered arrays are too complex," Rlyis argued. "We need something simple and reliable. A dual-layered array would be more efficient, and it would reduce the risk of errors during activation."
"But a dual-layered array wouldn’t be able to handle the energy output of the century shard," Eno countered. "We’d need to reinforce it with additional runes."
"Then we’ll reinforce it," Rlyis said, her tone brooking no argument. "The century shard is the centerpiece of this construct. We can’t afford to cut corners."
Rlyis and Eno’s discussion continued in earnest, their voices growing more animated as they debated the finer points of array stabilization.
Lassim listened with half an ear, still idly toying with the shard.
"I wonder how much intent these can actually hold." Lassim whispered to himself as the idea to also join in on the group’s testing to stave off boredom entered his mind.
"Let’s see how much you can handle," he murmured again, summoning a single lightning sprite fish.
The translucent creature sparked into existence above his hand, its movements erratic but purposeful. He guided it toward the shard, watching as it slipped inside effortlessly. The shard’s glow intensified, shifting slightly in hue as it absorbed the single sprite.
Lassim then summoned a second fish, a third, a fourth and even a fifth, adding them one by one with deliberate care. Each sprite entered the shard without resistance, but the glow began to fluctuate, growing only slightly uneven, like a vibration, with each addition. He continued, one after the other.
"Alright, that’s twenty," he said, after releasing another set of sprites.
The shard’s light flared momentarily before stabilizing, its hum now audible enough to catch the other’s attention. He tilted his head, watching closely as the shard’s glow pulsed in rhythm with the energy stored within.
"Lassim," Rlyis called, her voice cutting through his focus. "What are you—"
"One second," Lassim interrupted, holding up a hand as he summoned a twenty-first fish. The shard flickered briefly as it absorbed the sprite.
Rlyis narrowed her eyes, her tone sharp. "Don’t do anything stupid."
"No worries," Lassim replied, not taking his eyes off the shard. He released another set of sprites, then another, pushing the total to 40. The shard’s glow was certainly increasing, but not at a maximum quite yet at all. Still, the glow began to overtake the others still on the workshop table. It was certainly the brightest out of the whole bunch.
Eno glanced up from his sketches, his expression a mix of curiosity and caution. "Lassim, how many have you put in there?"
"Not that many. Just 50 so far." Lassim said casually, though his focus remained on the shard. He added several tens more, then even more, beginning to double how many fish were inside after every addition.
Rlyis set down her quill and walked over, her gaze narrowing as she watched him summon another set of sprites. She was worried about the experiment but also curious about what he was testing. Though, after she observed for a second, she quickly understood he was testing the small shard’s limit on holding intent.
Caught up in the process, Lassim began summoning sprites in rapid succession. 200. 400. 600. 1000. 1500. The shard began vibrating considerably, its hum now a low, steady thrum that reverberated through the workshop. There was a sudden shift in the pitch of the hum, sending it almost screeching.
"Lassim, I think you should probably stop." Rlyis said, a bit worried.
"It should be fine. I’m certain it can hold more," he said, though even he could feel the shard reaching its limit. Undeterred, he added another set of sprites, then another, his pace quickening as he pushed the shard closer to its breaking point.
For some reason, there was an inner glee spreading inside him that felt oddly similar to the training he did with Elder Karvus’ [Pulse] technique. That madman’s explosive technique oddly reminded him of his current situation and he was beginning to feel a similar sensation that triggered a flashback memory to the very first time he turned a small rock or ’object in waiting’ as the Elder called it, into an explosive that blew off his fingers and damaged his hands.
"Oh," he said quietly in solemn recognition of why that memory was coming back to him in very this moment. The shard’s light flickered violently, its hum turning into a high-pitched whine. Lassim’s shut quickly as cracks began to spiderweb across its surface.
He barely reacted, summoning a protective [Lifestream Aegis], before the shard shattered in a dazzling explosion of light and energy. Fragments scattered across the workshop, embedding themselves in nearby surfaces and sending a shockwave of heat through the room.
Lassim felt the force of the blast ripple through him. It was mostly just a compressed wave of Spiritual Pressure, so thankfully not too damaging. Only the shards of the stone caused minor dents and scratches in the things they damaged or embedded themselves in.
When the light faded, he opened his eyes to find a metallic wall, clearly one of Eno’s defensive techniques, covered in shards that began slowly melting away to reveal a glaring Rlyis and shocked Eno.
"2487," Lassim said sheepishly, brushing shards from his sect robes, trying to distract their attention from the blast and more on the experiment.
Rlyis looked like she was about to throttle him. "You just destroyed a perfectly good shard."
"Technically," Eno interjected, his tone far too calm for the situation, "it was a useful experiment. Now we know the shard’s limits."
"Useful?" Rlyis echoed, her voice rising. "That was reckless, wasteful, and—"
"—also informative," Eno added, cutting her off. "2487 sprite fish. That’s valuable data for how much intent a small shard can contain. Though I’d recommend a less explosive method next time."
Rlyis glared at both of them, her frustration palpable. "Lassim, if you destroy another shard, you’re cleaning up every single fragment."
"Understood," Lassim said with a small nod, though his expression betrayed no regret.
Eno jotted the number down in his notes, glancing at the scattered shards with a thoughtful expression. "2487. Let’s hope the larger pieces and the century crystal have a higher threshold."
"It’d better," Rlyis muttered, returning to her sketches. "But, you’re right. We have a foundation for how much we can charge on the lowest end when we begin functional testing."
The hours passed quickly after that with Rlyis and Eno refining their designs. Lassim, in the middle of sweeping up and cleaning the mess of shards in various construct parts, eventually wandered to the far side of the room, where the crates of Thick-body guard constructs were neatly stacked and labeled with their ribbons. A short and polite cough at the workshop’s entrance interrupted his work.
Rlyis glanced up from her writing, her brow furrowing then unfurrowing with realization, "That must be the couriers."
Lassim turned and walked back toward the entrance which revealed a group of Spirit Ascension stage disciples clad in silver-accented sect robes.
Behind them stood a man with average cultivation in the Spirit Transformation stage but no clear sect robes. Instead, he was with a merchant-style wagon with Lightning Sect designs on it, drawn by two massive tiger-lynx beasts on loose chains that seemed to allow them a wide range of movement away from the wagon if necessary. The creatures’ green and black striped fur was sleek enough to glisten in the sunlight. Their piercing eyes scanned the surroundings with an unsettling intelligence, ready to move or pounce at any moment.
"Y’all are quite quick to get here," Rlyis said, walking over to greet the group. "The crates are ready for transport in the back."
One of the disciples stepped forward, inclining his head respectfully. "We’ll handle the shipment. Head Elder Zhan has instructed us to ensure everything reaches its destination without issue."
"Appreciated," Rlyis said. "The labels on the crates detail their destinations. Make sure they’re distributed properly amongst you."
The disciples moved efficiently, lifting the crates with ease and carrying them out to the waiting wagon. The crates being magic pouches themselves were obviously unable to be stored within another magic pouch type storage vessel. Something in the rules of the universe meant that a god might curse you or smite you on the spot if you ever tried such a thing, so wagons were the go to for transporting such goods like this.
Lassim watched them work, and bored of cleaning, approached the man with the wagon, who was busy placating the tiger-lynx beasts while also checking their harnesses during the loading.
"Where are you taking these, if you don’t mind?" Lassim asked, curious.
The man glanced up, breaking into a polite smile that revealed a gold tooth. "The closest sets are bound for Ralta City, one of the largest trading hubs newly under sect control from the Sun Sect. From there, they’ll be distributed to various outposts and strongholds as we make our ways around the south. We’re hoping the next set of constructs you lot produce will go more towards the outposts and cities in the north. Unfortunately, we’re just much more thinned out down here in the southern side, so we need extra guards for the guard rotations. Hopefully these will help."
"Ralta City, huh?" Lassim said, leaning against the wagon. "Never been there. What’s it like?"
"It’s a busy place," the man replied, tightening the straps on the harness that attached to their chain leashes. "Merchants, cultivators, travelers—it’s a crossroads for just about everyone if you’re into that kind of thing."
Lassim nodded thoughtfully, imagining the bustling streets and vibrant marketplaces. "Maybe I’ll visit someday. I’ve been stuck in outposts for the last couple months. I miss the convenience of restaurant cooking for sure."
"You should," the man said, climbing onto the wagon. "But for now, I’d appreciate some help loading the crates if you could."
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"You got it," Lassim said. He joined the disciples in lifting the remaining crates, their combined efforts making quick work of the task of moving nearly 70 crates in total that held the 1000 mass produced constructs within them.
As the last crate was secured, Rlyis and Eno stepped outside to see the wagon off and sign off on the shipment. Rlyis handed the lead disciple a sealed scroll, her expression stern. "These are the deployment instructions. Make sure they’re followed to the letter."
The disciple accepted the scroll with a nod. "You have my word."
The group exchanged a few final words before the couriers took to the skies, their silver robes glinting in the sunlight as they circled the wagon in a defensive perimeter. They each faced outwards with the wagon directly in the middle of them, ready for any approaching threats.
The man with the wagon offered a friendly wave before urging the tiger-lynx beasts into motion. The wagon creaked as it rolled away, disappearing into the forest path while the guards flew overhead with a precise and synchronized movement with no more than 15 meters between them at a time.