Nightblade (Darkest night)

Professor Rundrik led the way to a work station that was situated next to a large furnace. An elaborate glass chamber stood next to it, arrayed with several sophisticated-looking machines and moulds.

The chamber was partitioned into two inner and outer chambers that could be observed from the outside.

Emerald flames burned fiercely within the forge, illuminating Rundrik's face.

"This is a Sunshine forge," Rudrik announced to the rest of the group. "It's the one that I'll use to make your weapon." He turned to Lucian, piercing him with a calm gaze.

" Mr Ash, what kind of weapon would you like?"

Lucian thought for a while, then turned to Rundrik, choosing his words carefully.

" Professor, may I make a request?"

Rundrik's eyes narrowed.

" You may make your request, if it's within my ability to do, I'll do it."

" Could you make the weapon for someone else. I love weapons, but I think right now someone else, a dear friend of mine, needs it more than I do."

Rundrik's eyes widened in surprise. He broke into a smile.

" That's quite unexpected. I didn't think you'd give up your opportunity to someone else. Very well then, who should I make the weapon for?"

Lucian beamed brightly.

" Morgan, make one for Morgan."

Morgan's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

" Lucian, think about this," He whispered. " Are you completely sure? I don't know much about weapon smithing, but from the little tidbits of information I have, Professor Rundrik is supposed to be a legendary weapon-smith."

Rundrik chuckled in amusement, his sensitive ears catching their conversation.

Lucian chuckled lightly.

" Don't worry about that, I did this because we're friends, remember? It's what friends do."

Morgan was slightly taken aback. He hadn't envisioned this happening at all. Despite his mistrust of the scions, Lucian was giving up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a weapon from one of the best weaponsmiths to ever exist for him.

" Mr Thane, it's decided. What kind of weapon would you like me to make for you?"

Morgan tapped his comlink and quickly pulled up an image of the blades he was comfortable with.

" Professor Rundrik, could you make these?"

Rundrik grinned at his choice.

The image showed a pair of simple dual-wielded dark blades. They were meant to be held in a reverse grip. The hilts were made of worn leather, and the blades shimmered with a silvery hue.

" That's quite impressive. You want a pair of Nightfang blades. This can be done."

Rundrik signalled with a snap and an assistant materialised at his side, leaving a small gust of wind in his wake.

A tall man clad in a similar black vestment and apron stood next to Rundrik. He had a short beard and wore thick dark gloves. His black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his orange eyes were curved in a light smile.

He approached them, handing each of them a pair of dark goggles.

"This is my assistant, Solgrane. He will help me throughout the process."

Solgrane nodded at the kids, offering them a warm smile.

" We will use the same ratio you gave me earlier today to form a Noctylium alloy."

Solgrane measured out the metals one by one, adding them to a large stone-like cauldron.

" First Silviric, it will imbue the blade with unnatural sharpness." He added a dark metallic powder that shifted strangely, writhing in a lifelike way.

" That is Umbranite, it will give the weapon an affinity for umbralis. Once you become an initiate, you should be able to channel umbralis through the weapon."

Solgrane cut a strange, bluish metal that shimmered slightly until only a small portion was left. He added it to the cauldron as well.

" That is Teranite, it'll bind the rest of the metals together so that when the blade is formed, the sum of its parts will be greater than the individual parts themselves. The blade will retain the mystic properties of each of the other metals and become stronger and more durable on its own."

Lucian frowned slightly.

" Professor, what about Nextrine?"

Rundrik grinned in delight.

" Ah, Nextrine is added during the forging process. Once the other metals are melted down, we'll add Nextrine to the molten liquid just before it solidifies. It's a technique I created myself. It prevents the Nextrine from losing its most unique property."

Samantha looked back and forth in bewilderment.

" Excuse me, Professor Rundrik, which property would that be?"

" Nextrine, when applied properly in the forging of a weapon, allows it to repair itself over time even when damaged in combat," Rundrik explained patiently, with a smile.

Morgan intently observed the process, noting down even the tiniest of details.

" If I'm able to master weapon smithing, I'll be able to create my own weapons in the future. At that time, forging weapons that are attuned to me would not be out of the question. But of course, I'd have to get skilled enough to do that."

Solgrane pressed a button, and the glass barrier surrounding the emerald furnace rose.

The flames died down until they burned slowly in a controlled way.

Solgrane lifted the stony cauldron off the ground, his muscles rippling and drawing taut.

With a grunt, he moved it into the furnace, placing it at the centre of the flames.

Morgan's eyes widened slightly when the emerald flames licked at the man.

To his surprise, they didn't seem to harm him, passing harmlessly over his clothes.

Solgrane stepped out with a smile, glancing at the kids with an amused expression when he noticed the looks of awe on their faces.

He tapped a button on the furnace's control panel, and the glass door slid back in place.

The emerald flames burned with increasing intensity, briefly turning white-hot.

The metals turned a molten red, then slowly melted, swirling in on themselves.

The flames briefly transitioned into a myriad of colours, glowing blue, red, then flashed a vivid gold before reverting to their emerald colour.

The white hot molten fluid flowed through glass tubes made from the strange glass alloy.

" Lucian, what kind of alloy is that?"

" Zarenite, it's one of the most heat-resistant materials ever discovered. It is mined in Tenebris," Lucian whispered back. "The whole equipment contained within this Sunshine forge is enough to acquire a small country."

The molten liquid flowed into a zarenite glass chamber, pooling into a small compartment at its base.

Rundrik entered the outer chamber, and a glass barrier sealed off the compartment.

He wore a set of dark glasses that shielded his eyes from the radiance of the molten liquid.

He turned a valve, and a silver molten liquid flowed from a separate compartment within the inner chamber, shrouded in fierce violet flames.

The silver liquid trickled into the pool of molten liquid. The mixture burned fiercely, emanating a blinding white flame.

"Put on your glasses now!" Solgrane barked.

Rundrik pulled on a lever, and a second glass compartment of Zarenite enclosed the first, containing the violent reaction.

The lower compartment began to spin, mixing the two molten liquids evenly, forming a small conflagration of white flame. The light intensified, becoming brighter until Rundrik's figure could no longer be seen.

"So that's why it's called a Sunshine forge," Morgan thought, while shielding his eyes from the heat.

The light was so blinding that it looked like a small sun had appeared.

Emily smiled faintly.

"Weapon smithing was definitely the right decision."

Lucian and Raven grinned madly, while Samantha looked slightly terrified.

"Are these two even sane?"

When the light dissipated, a dark, shimmering liquid remained, crackling faintly with blue bolts of electricity.

Rundrik pulled on another lever. Several gears whirled, and the dark molten liquid flowed into a mould.

Rundrik stepped into the inner chamber, his orange eyes burned with a fierce light.

Granvolt flowed onto Rundrik's arms, turning a faint golden colour.

Solgrane quickly strode into the chamber after Rundrik.

Rundrik grabbed one of the large hammers within the forge and began to hammer out the Noctylium block that had taken on the shape of the Nightfang blades.

Solgrane held the blocks in place with a large pair of tongs. Rundrik began to hammer them rhythmically while cooling and heating them in the emerald furnace at intervals.

Sweat ran down his arms in small streams from the extreme heat.

He whispered something to Solgrane, who stepped out and returned with a wrapped parcel.

Rundrik deftly placed the semi-formed blades into the mould and began to expertly hammer them into shape, rhythmically flattening out the curved blades and slowly forming the tangs of blades simultaneously.

Solgrane heated the blocks, alternately placing them in the furnace.

Finally, the blades were flattened and folded in on themselves several times. Rundrik began to hammer them once more, ensuring that the texture and quality of the blades were consistent throughout their entire length.

Rundrik and Solgrane took a break, placing the blades into a sealed chamber where they slowly cooled down.

Rundrik and Solgrane stepped out of the glass chamber, the slight smell of smoke and metal wafting into the air.

Solgrane was sweating profusely from the heat; Rundrik, on the other hand, was only sweating slightly.

"Is this guy even human?" Morgan inwardly thought.

" The heat is quite extreme," Rundrik explained," so much so that if any of you stepped in during the forging process, there's a chance you could die. Only novices and other higher-ranked assassins whose bodies have changed considerably can withstand the high temperatures."

Rundrik grinned.

"The hard part is done. Now to finish them."