The refined Earth Core floated above Jacob's palm, spinning slowly within the invisible cradle of his mana field. Its geometry was beautiful and intricate, the purest form of the Earth affinity. It gave off a faint feeling of fluctuating gravity, but there was also strength and flexibility within that fluctuation.
Sera watched from the cot, humming a tune so low and gentle it was almost subliminal. Jacob, feeling the stability her presence lent, knew the time for hesitation was over. It was time to see what he could do with the core.
He reached for his spare sword, a plain, two-handed practice blade made of decent but unremarkable steel. He had purchased it from the blacksmith before going dungeon diving, and had not found the time to lay down an enchantment for it. Now, it seemed, was the time.
He focused his intent. He allowed the metal to yield, visualizing the core gently sinking into the hilt. He felt with his own mana for the magic around him and the magic contained in his own energy.
In his visualization, he considered the magic as another entity, one that could autonomously make decisions based on what was needed for his efforts to work. An entity that he was asking for help, not demanding results from.
The steel seemed to soften, though not through force, but through Jacob's powerful mental image of the core belonging there as well as the magic doing what it needed to make this possible.
The metal seemed to flow around the refined crystal seamlessly until the core was perfectly entombed within the field of the weapon. The steel took on a hardened appearance once again, leaving no trace of the core's insertion.
Jacob lifted the sword. It felt balanced, but unremarkable. Without something connecting the core to the sword, it seemed it was just a dormant shape within the field of the metal.
He had to begin layering the three complex intents of the Earthshaper's Aegis onto the core without interference if he was going to bring this weapon to life.
Jacob began with the defense, the most crucial layer for stability. He laid the sword flat on the desk. He used his mithril tool to trace the faintest, almost invisible lines of pure intent along the blade's surface, acting as mental guideposts for the magic.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the refined Earth Core in the hilt. Without thinking in words, he shaped his intent into a clear image.
The image was of the wielder always being grounded and heavy, impervious to being knocked off balance. He visualized the kinetic energy of any impact hitting a deep, yielding bed of moss, the energy simply dispersing into the earth's mass.
He pushed mana into the core. The flow was smooth and simple. He waited for a misfire, but the magic, recognizing the stable, clear intent, accepted the request instantly. A soft, low thrum resonated from the sword. The first layer was complete.
The second intent, offense, required active, focused power.
He changed his mental image. He focused on the moment the blade connected with an object.
He imagined the space around the blade instantaneously collapsing into itself, momentarily achieving the density of a mountain before springing back to normal. The cutting edge becoming the focal point of immense, focused weight within his visualization.
He pushed mana. This time, the core resisted, throwing off a small, angry puff of residual mana. The geometric core, designed for stability, seemed to dislike the idea of sudden, chaotic mass.
Jacob immediately recognized the problem. His image was still too close to forcing a collapse.
Sera's humming intensified, and Jacob took a calming breath.
He tried again, refining his mental image, considering the magic as a partner in the swing.
It works with the wielder's momentum, lending a pulse of immense, focused gravity only at the point of collision, releasing it instantly, while the core remains stable.
He pushed the mana softly, trusting the magic to carry out the complex physics without his direct control. The core accepted the synergy. Instead of a loud thrum, a high-pitched, satisfied ring echoed from the steel. The magic had become autonomous.
The final intent required the core to constantly and subtly interact with the environment.
Jacob carried the sword outside next to the greenhouse, plunging the tip of the blade into a patch of soft, damp earth near the foundation.
The image was of the blade's structure being porous and thirsty.
It is drinking in the trace minerals of the earth, using the stable mana flow to slowly mend any chips, cracks, or damage to the metal, rebuilding the blade to perfect condition. It mends the lattice with the best available minerals, helping it surpass perfection over time.
He channeled mana, visualizing the slow, steady process of absorption and repair. The sword, now buried, responded with a slow, steady pulse, like a drumbeat. The self-sustaining repair process began, relying on the infinite resource of the ground and the magic's tireless, autonomous partnership.
Jacob retrieved the sword. It was still a plain practice blade, but its magic was immense. He had forged the Earthshaper's Aegis, just as he had planned.
He walked back inside the warmth of his home, where Sera was waiting away from the cold.
"Is it done?" she asked, her voice quiet.
"It is," Jacob confirmed. He held the sword out. "It's a masterpiece of intent, it will make us enough gold to stop worrying about cores shattering. For now, at least."
He was looking at the blade, but his thoughts were already racing beyond the farm, beyond the gold. He now had the method, the intent, and the proof.
The Void Stone could be worked on now, but he had a couple of things in mind before that.
He flexed his mana field, feeling it wrap around him like an autonomous being instead of a tool. It flexed back, telling him it was there and ready to see what fun thing he had next on his agenda.