Unlike a pseudo core, a power core could be realized one step at a time and even from different mages. Imbuing huge artifacts like a mage tower or an academy with several enchantments of different nature would have been impossible otherwise, even for someone who already owned a tower.
The different pieces had to be crafted so that the pseudo cores would merge after assembling their physical vessels. To do that, it was necessary to alter the usual order of Forgemastering procedures and leave the creation of the mana circulatory system for last.
On the one hand, it made the crafting of the single pieces simple since each one of them would only hold a small part of the final enchantment. On the other hand, the pseudo cores had to be positioned so that they wouldn’t disrupt the formation of the mana circulatory system.
That way, the sudden flow of power from the crystal would carry the different pseudo cores to the heart of the artifact and exert a pressure that would allow them to merge into one power core capable of managing all the different enchantment.
Finding the right position for each core required a lot of planning and even more trial and error. Friya had crafted so many failed Warp Drives that she now almost hated dimensional magic.
“I can’t believe that someone as stingy as you is wasting so much silver. Do your mines really earn you that much or does this come out of Faluel’s pocket as an apology for the mess in Kolga?” Friya asked.
“It comes from the mines. I saved every single bit of metal from my shares. There’s a reason why I still live in a two-story cottage and in Kamila’s apartment.” Lith said with pride.
“Yeah, the reason is that you are a cheap ass.” Friya said with a scoff.
“Besides, I’m not wasting any silver. Our failures cannot be enchanted anymore, but they can still be melted and sold as jewelry.” He ignored her remark and kept working on the propulsion system.
Each one of them took care of the aspect of the DoLorean that better suited their respective talents. Lith had appreciated the design of Kolga’s flying cars, but they were unsuitable to be used by regular humans.
Thanks to the Forbidden Sun, Kolgans couldn’t die so their cars had no safety measure nor an emergency system. On top of that, Kolgans could use magic so in the worst-case scenario they would float back on the ground whereas Lith’s parents couldn’t even use tier one spells.
To make a proper means of transportation instead of a metal death trap, it required a much more complex design. Lith crafted all the contingency measure pseudo cores necessary in the case his parents ran into an elemental blocking array.
Friya, instead, used her notions of gravity magic to make the device capable of floating on its own rather than require a constant flow of air magic to lift it. It would make the flight path more stable and allow the vehicle to go faster since only a small part of the energy would be needed to keep it in the air.
Solus had to take care of the Light Mastery necessary to make the DoLorean safe. Even after being enchanted, silver wasn’t very sturdy, and to cover all the possible scenarios where a flying beast or mage attacked, it would take dozens of spells.
Light Mastery was the perfect solution since no one used light sealing arrays and the versatility of the constructs allowed the same spell to shape them according to the situation at hand.
It could form an external armor to protect the occupants from attacks while also fill the interior with a protective foam in case of impacts or crash landings. Lith had devised it as a means of transportation or of escape, not as a weapon.
Each one of them worked with their respective hammer and even though Friya only had a bright cyan core, her works held the same power that Lith would expect from someone with a blue core.
“How does that thing work, exactly?” He asked during the lunch break.
“Not everyone has a tower that conveniently boosts their power. Hydras can use their extra heads to keep the Forgemastering circles stable indefinitely, but their total amount of mana is fixed.” Friya replied.
“I have no idea how this thing has been crafted. All I know is that after being imprinted, my hammer’s enchantment allows it to turn the world energy from the crystals into mana with the same energy signature of its wielder.
“It works akin to a second mana core that gets refilled over time and allows me to exceed my own limits long enough to craft several pieces before needing to take a break.”
“Can’t you use it for combat spells as well?” Solus tried to put her hands of it, but Friya slapped them away.
“Hands off the merchandise, sister. I don’t try and steal your secrets. The least you could do is return the favor.” She snarled.
“Sorry. Bad habits die hard. I’m too used to liberate all the knowledge I encounter. My Invigoration moves faster than my brain.” Solus lowered her eyes in embarrassment.
“As for your question, I could do that if I was an Awakened or at least a true mage.” Friya sighed.
“I need my hands free to cast spells, remember? Only during a Forgemastering procedure can I finish the hand signs first and then wield the hammer to channel its mana into my spell.
“In a combat situation, it would leave me completely exposed and keep me from using my estoc.”
After every failure, they needed to revise the blueprints and adjust the position of the pseudo cores, giving Friya’s hammer the time to recharge. Yet changing the rune patterns without altering the spell’s structure needed all her focus and drained her energy.
After a few days of sleepless work while following Lith’s rhythm, Friya was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Is this really your idea of vacation?” She snarled. “If I were Solus, I would have already kicked your ass several times while in Kamila’s shoes, I would have dumped you a long time ago. Compared to this, the Fringe was a pleasant experience!”
“This isn’t a vacation, it’s how Awakened work.” Lith shrugged. “You should thank me for giving you the opportunity to live like one of us for a while and put your Forgemastering skills to the test.
“You’ve tempered your body with mana and even lost some weight. What more could you possibly want?”
Friya swore like a sailor and left the Forgemastering lab, adding a long streak of death threats that she promised to put into action if he dared to wake her up before eight hours.
“Don’t you think that you’re being too hard on her? She’s not an Awakened and she went through a lot.” Solus said while making a steaming hot full course meal appear on the table in Friya’s room.
“I know, but I want this to be ready for Kamila’s next leave. This way I can bring my family along without the need to constantly babysit them. Also, by returning home for the meals I give them some space after our big argument without making things awkward and I get the opportunity to spend time with you.
“Two birds with one stone.” He said with a warm smile.
