A Conversation about a Curious Crystal

Authors Note: I've updated the Weapons Images chapter, adding a new image for Krvavy's Soulbound Weapon after this upgrade. I've also added a rough image of what her Blackbriar Javelins look like, which I actually meant to do a few months ago but only just now realized that I had forgotten to do so.

Krvavy’s eyebrows raise up in surprise as she looks towards her Dwarf. To be honest, she kind of forgot that Inanna was still here with how silent the shortstack has been...

“Ach, be quick...” Beryl sighs out in mild frustration, glaring at the smug and victorious Were-Beast. The fact that Krvavy isn’t going to immediately leave has emboldened Khalia, and with the vast difference in their physical strength there is very little that the Elf can do about that.

“Your Soulbound Weapon...” The grey-skinned Dwarf slowly speaks up, her thick brow still furrowed in thought. “Did its description contain the names of the materials that it has 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 her head. “Yeah, it does.”

“The crystal,” Inanna has an odd intensity in her voice as her unwavering copper-orange eyes remain locked on the barbarian. “What is it? What does the description call it?”

“It’s a Synthetic Heartstone, apparently.” Krvavy replies with a faint shrug, glancing down at the weapon resting on the ground beside her. “Guess it isn’t a naturally occurring gem, though that isn’t really a surprise... Still, sounds pretty unique. It kind of has to be, considering the buffs it gives...”

The Dwarf is completely silent for a few long seconds, before she slowly begins to exhale. “I’m sorry,” she blinks her eyes as a look of disbelief fills her normally neutral face, “did you say that it was a Heartstone?”

“Yes?” Krvavy confusedly tilts her head as Beryl tugs on her arm, trying in vain to pull her away from the cuddling Were-Beast and the inquisitive Dwarf. “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 this is some sort of legendary gem, or something?”

The grey-skinned shortstack doesn’t immediately respond. Her mouth opens and closes a few times as she is left completely without words. But, just as Krvavy starts to worry, the Dwarf gasps and nearly shouts in her breathless voice. “A Synthetic Heartstone?!”

“Is tha’ supposed ta be special?” Beryl asks with a degree of annoyance in her voice. The Elf can already tell that Inanna is going to going to talk on and on, which means that she won’t be able to drag Krvavy away any time soon. “Plenty o’ gems and crystals are made by people.” She gently shakes her head and sighs out in defeat.

The Dwarf leans forwards and shakily grabs onto Krvavy’s wrist with her stout fingers, clinging a bit too tightly to be comfortable. “Do you... Do you not know what a Heartstone is...?” An almost incredulous tone enters her voice as she gazes up at Beryl. “They... Entire wars have been fought over possession of a single one...!”

“Oh.” A flash of recognition enters the Wood Elf’s blue-green eyes. “Tha’ does sound a bit familiar... Somethin’ about Dwarven greed spurrin’ them onta war wit’ each other and the Old Elves. So much **** and loss, just ta claim some prized gems.”

“Prized...!?” Inanna holds back a frustrated groan as she buries her face into Krvavy’s hand. “It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Wood Elves would have forgotten...” She mutters in a slightly muffled voice, before lifting her head and glaring at Beryl. “Your kind were the one breed of Elves who hardly cared for the Heartstones, trusting instead in your trees.”

“Aye.” Beryl seems completely unbothered by the Dwarf’s intense, nearly vitriolic, gaze. “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, and will provide fer the land around it.”

Inanna bristles a bit at that response, her grip on Krvavy’s wrist tightening even further. “A Heartstone is no mere crystal.”

“Ugh...!” Thea groans in 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 out, crossing her arms in a cute pout.

The grey-skinned shortstack takes a moment to compose herself. “Heartstones are... analogous to the cores within each and every one of us.” A slight bit of disappointment enters her face 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’?” The silver-blonde brat 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 or from some other bond, 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 Dwarf 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?” The barbarian tilts her head slightly as Inanna’s voice fades into a silence that drags on into seconds. “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 Drakling. “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 **** 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 breathes out, finally getting why her Dwarf has gotten so worked up. She didn’t just find some legendary, near mythical, loot. She found something that should be impossible.

“Correct, my Ushumgal.” Inanna’s lips curl upwards slightly into a proud smile. “You have made a truly remarkable discovery. A discovery that has sent my mind racing with thoughts. 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 and bring it with them to the grave?”

“Ach.” Beryl clicks her tongue and slowly sighs out. “Ah’ll ‘andle the dishes myself...” She shakes her head and gathers up the few bowls, looking just a little disappointed as she does so.

Krvavy apologetically smiles at her Elf, which does seem to raise Beryl’s mood a little bit. “So...” she turns her gaze back towards the Dwarf once Beryl has left the room. “Is it still alright that this is permanently a part of my axe now?”

“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 its synthetic nature means that it is not a true equal to a natural Heartstone, anything that I could have done with it would have been a complete and utter waste of its potential. Especially since I never would have suspected it to be a Heartstone.”

“And why is that?” Thea butts back into the conversation, leaning forwards and narrowing her eyes. “You are smart and clearly know a lot about these ‘heartstones’, so would you not eventually figure it out?”

The grey-skinned Dwarf looks to the noble girl and frowns ever so slightly. “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 end 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 think it was 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...”

The silver-blonde brat just shrugs and accepts that answer.

“Getting back to your question, my Ushumgal...” Inanna glances towards the barbarian’s axe as it rests on the ground nearby. “I fully believe that integrating the Heartstone into your Soulbound Weapon was the correct choice. Knowing now what it truly is, I must say that it being functionally bound to your soul is quite the reassurance. If others were to learn of its existence, that it is a synthetic Heartstone rather than a mere enchanted crystal, then we would all have a very large target on our heads. That is, of course, still a risk. But it is safer in your immediate care than it is in our home, though I will admit that the risk of discovery is higher with it so prominently on display like that... Thus, I will caution you against flaunting it around. I have no doubt that it is possible to remove it from your weapon by some means, so do not let that layer of security get to your head.”

“I understand.” Krvavy solemnly nods her head. “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 out in support. “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.”

“Mm...” A thoughtful expression fills the Dwarf’s face as her copper-orange eyes lock onto the prismatic crystal. “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 her head and rises to her feet.

“Where are you going?” Thea narrows her eyes 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 Krvavy’s weapon all the way to my workshop. It is considerably larger than I am, and would be rather cumbersome.” Inanna plainly states, 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 states with a shrug, kneeling down beside the large axe.

“Your conviction fills me with confidence.” Thea sarcastically huffs as she not so subtly scoots to the side, putting both the Were-Beast and the barbarian between herself and the Soulbound Weapon.

“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, simply crossing her arms as she makes herself comfortable. “Hmph.”

“So...” The Drakling slowly breathes out, her fingers idly trailing through Khalia coarse black-brown hair. “Did you do anything interesting yesterday?” She casually asks her beautiful brat.

A slight sneer fills the noble girls face as she stares at the barbarian. “Seriously? 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 out. “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 questions, looking expectantly towards 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 out, lifting her gaze 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~?”

Krvavy simply raises an eyebrow as the bratty girl acts overly flirtatious, those soft-blue eyes meeting her gaze with a loving and lewd look to them. “Kind of.” She lightly shrugs out, deciding to let Thea get away with so blatantly changing the topic. “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 face flushes as Krvavy leans over the cuddling Orc, who has since been lulled to sleep, and gently grabs her hand, locking their fingers together.

“I was thinking that we’d just read together, but if you’d like to do something more~...?”

“N-no...!” Thea hastily stutters out, 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 simply smiles and gently squeezes the girl’s hand. 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.

“There.” Inanna’s voice is accompanied by a sharp crack. “See? No explosion.” She states, rising back onto her feet with a small shard held between her fingers.

“Are you not going to take any more than that?” Thea quickly asks, eagerly taking the chance to change the topic 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, as I would rather not risk breaking off too large of a piece.”

“Can you tell, well, anything about that piece?” 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, I figured that it’d break at some point, so might as well have that happen now in a controlled manner.” Krvavy responds with a nod.

The Wood Elf simply shrugs and lightly shakes her head. “Was Adeline actin’ normal yesterday?” She abruptly asks, looking between the brat and the Dwarf.

“Ugh...” Thea rolls her eyes and dramatically groans out. “You sound far too worried about that rabbit.”

A frown fills Beryl’s face as she sternly glares at the bratty girl. “She 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. “She is an adult. Stop babying her so much.”

The Elf’s long and pointed ears twitch a couple of times, prompting her to turn to look across the room to where the Halfling is sleeping. The tiny blonde isn’t directly visible, as she is bundled 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 breathes out in annoyance, “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 Drakling’s eyebrows furrow as she meets Beryl’s blue-green eyes. “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 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 with an increasingly angry expression twisting her face. “The poor girl is feverish. And ya’re sayin’ tha’ ya didn’t notice tha’?”

“I doubt that she is sick. At least not in the way that you are thinking.” Inanna 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 look at her with a bit of expectant confusion. “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, clearly rather annoyed about getting singled out like that.