Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Upgrades pt.2

Aleph sat down, watching Iona make the finishing touches on Lacey's robe. She was clumsier than he thought, but then again, not everyone had hundreds of years of experience like he did.

"That's not quite right, Lady Iona."

"Shut it, you. I know it's messed up. Let me just…" 

"It's off center."

"I KNOW!"

They went back and forth like that until finally, Aleph saw an item he was satisfied with. A deep blue long coat was laid out on his workbench, inlaid with intricately carved pieces of what he called ocean rock, or pressure stone as it was known locally. A quick look-over saw that the runes he carved perfectly aligned with the stones.

For the finishing touch, he set a green jewel on the coat's metal fasteners, made to complete the rune formation when worn. Aleph stood back, admiring his work, while Iona admired it from the side.

"It's ready."

"That's it? I was expecting something flashier."

"There was a time when I thought you made those glasses. Clearly I was wrong."

"What is it with you artificers and having an attitude? Ugh, I thought you'd be easier to work with. It's part of why I gave you so much material." She grumbled a bit, but in the end she couldn't hide her pride. Apparently, she had only just begun to learn enchanting, mostly by necessity. She admired the robe, poring over every inch like a hawk.

"This is great. Do you really think it will work?"

Aleph went to the bench and wrote a bit on a piece of paper, similar to what he did when he wrapped up Rayse's shield. He held it out to Iona.

"Only one way to find out. Do you think this will fit you?"

Iona recoiled in shock. "That might be the rudest thing you said to me today."

Aleph tilted his head in confusion, but handed her the note just the same.

"Go try it out, or better yet, have Lacey test it. It should work the way I described it to you."

After chasing Iona out of his workshop, Aleph finally had time alone. She was subpar, but was the best help he could find at the moment. Tom's men were capable craftsmen, as were the ones in town, but Iona was the only one present with a working knowledge of runic language. Like magic, intent is important during engraving, so she was indispensable in speeding up the process.

Unlike Vaynard's gear, theirs included a lot more functions, but Aleph still expected to take at least double the time on them. 

Thanks to Iona, Aleph finished all three of his disciples' equipment in a day and a half. That meant he finally had time to work on his own equipment. 

Aleph had not left his workshop all this time. Sheila and Shae brought him sustenance during that time, but aside from the water, they all lay mostly untouched in the corner. Hunger called to him now, as he reached over to munch on some stale bread and cheese. He toasted them over the furnace, which helped considerably with the taste.

He had himself a modest meal, pondering how he would begin designing his own gear. With the wind orb going on the robe and all his magnetite going into Rayse's shield, he was basically unarmed right now. He stared at the list of high grade materials he had left, hoping that something would jump out at him.

Attribute | Materials

Gravity   | 1x heart, 4x wing

Fire        | 2x horn

Abyss     |1x heart, 1x horn

Earth      | 1x horn

Force     | 2x heart, 2x horn

Strength | 1x heart

 He used Gravity for Rayse's shield and Earth for Brandon's sword, but he was still sitting on a half dozen mana hearts. He could figure out what reagents he'd need afterwards, but at the very least, he'd have to figure out a concept that he could work with.

The Force hearts looked promising. He already had one from his escape from the Spire, so it was a welcome surprise that Iona also provided him with another of the same attribute. The blue concussive blasts the emissaries created with them were pretty formidable… Perhaps a ranged weapon? 

Ideas began to flow. Aleph began to plan to use up each of the hearts he had left, not just for his own use, but his companions too. Drawing up the plans took overnight, but Aleph hardly noticed it, until he heard a knock on the door.

He broke out of his trance, shaking his head clear as he stared at what he had been working on.

"...I overdid it."

 It was too ambitious of a project to finish in one go. He would need to prioritize a couple of them if he planned to be useful in the portal raids, the thought of which gave him pause.

"I wonder if they've gone." Aleph asked himself.

Another knock on the door, this time more insistent, made Aleph reluctantly get up to see who it was. He opened it to see a mob of people, silently looking back at him. They were led by Tom, the head of the village he had saved.

"Good morning, sir Aleph." He greeted.

Aleph went out, shielding himself from the morning sun. 

"Hello, everyone. What day is it?"

"It's been four days since we arrived, 'milord. I believe we have been patient enough." Came the answer, this time from Lily.

"Ah." He had completely forgotten about them. He scrambled, trying to make up for his mistake.

"How are you all adjusting? Are the townsfolk treating you well? I could talk to-"

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"Yes, yes, that's all been sorted. We have gained permission to inhabit the area. They offered to make our temporary lodgings a more permanent arrangement, but we decided to rebuild the village somewhere else."

They looked at Aleph expectantly, although for what, he had no idea. Tom cleared his throat, acting unusually wound up for a man who had traveled with him.

"Would you allow us to rebuild here, 'milord?" 

It was only now that Aleph noticed the change in how they addressed him. But alas, he had already accepted them back at the village; it would feel wrong to abandon them now.

"... Alright. Go survey the land and have someone draw up the housing plans. I will look over them once I finish up here. If you need anything, just knock." He went back in to at least finish one of his designs, when he remembered something.

"Oh, and Tom?"

"Yes?"

"My well has long dried up. Keep it closed so no one falls by mistake. Is that clear?"

"...Yes, 'milord." came his confused reply. 

Aleph still hasn't decided whether to tell them his origins. On one hand, him being the target of the God of the Abyss would surely endanger everyone around him. But Aleph knew Erebos better than most, and he was sure that the entire planet was in his crosshairs anyway. Him appearing at the sanctuary was unexpected, but Marduk was there to keep him in check, so Aleph hoped that it was enough.

Still, he decided on helping these people grow their mana hearts as a precaution. Not that any amount of new mages could hold back a god, but leaving Hios unattended had been a nagging concern of his ever since he returned. Given that they had already begun to do so at the village, Aleph thought of it as a continuation of his promise to protect them.

He went back to his workbench strangely refreshed. More and more people were getting entangled with him, but he looked forward to it now. Having Rayse's sisters running around had brought him an unexpected joy, and he had grown fond of Tom and his men. 

Aleph attacked his work with enthusiasm, the enemy portals surrounding the town becoming a much more pressing issue now that more people precious to him were in its proximity. It was another day until he finally left his workshop, wearing a pair of gauntlets as proof of his labors. He was itching to try them out, but was also keen on seeing his new neighbors' progress.

He went back to the front of his home for a surprise. Some of the construction was already underway. Trees were already being cleared and processed into lumber, and down the road he could see people bringing rocks carrying rocks from the river.

"Oh, great, you're here! I was just about to go come see you."

"Things look like they're progressing smoothly. How are all of you holding up?"

"Quite well, 'milord. We've been clearing some of the trees to make room for our new homes, and found a decent quarry of rocks over by the river. Your disciples were a big help, by the way. They lent us your old tools, speeding up the process considerably."

"Hmmm. I had been looking for a chance to properly introduce them to you, but it seems they sought you out on their own." 

"Why, they took after you very well, 'milord. The little ones already see them as big sisters, but their cuteness really keeps morale up."

Cuteness?

The questions in Aleph's mind faded away as a group of children ran past, led by Shae and Sheila. They ran a circuit around him, laughing uproariously before running back into the forest. Tom chuckled from beside him.

"The young ones haven't been that cheery since the attack. Those kids you have are a godsend, Aleph."

Aleph shared in his laughter as he looked at the children. It seems they really took Marco's story to heart. He looked at the work being done, men and women alike hauling stones and lumber like men decades younger. The scene reminded Aleph of something. He swiftly went back into his workshop to get a small bag, which he handed over to Tom.

"Tom, there are a few mana crystals in here. Give these to everyone."

The village head looked at him, surprised. He opened up the bag to reveal several pure mana crystals, the last of Aleph's stock. His disciples used a few to bolster their strength in the battle, but these are Aleph's personal stock, intended for the weapon he was originally making. Tom choked up, seemingly aware of the value of these pure crystals.

"A-are you sure, 'milord? That is your personal wealth, and we have plenty of harbinger crystals left…"

"These are much better, my friend. I do not have enough to develop everyone's hearts completely, but these would still help us protect everyone."

"But Aleph, at my age, it's a terrible waste…"

"Please, Tom. Take it."

The older man reluctantly took it. Aleph just stared at him, not leaving his side until he took one for himself. He wore him down after a while, absorbing one of the crystals. He instantly seemed more youthful. His back was straighter, his eyes a bit more alert. Just seeing that made Aleph think it was worth it.

They spoke about some other matters after that, like how the villagers' supply situation was coming along. Apparently, Iona had bought their entire stock of harbinger leather, giving them enough coin to finance this entire neighborhood housing project as well as keep them fed until they could resume their trades. Yet another debt I owe that woman, Aleph thought.

Eventually sundown came, when Aleph practically had to chase people back into town for some rest. The people reluctantly left, but only after having grilled fish over the fire pit outside his home. The practice was slowly becoming a tradition, he noticed. It was night time when they finally left, leaving Aleph and the twins waving them goodbye.

Already having sent the girls to sleep, Aleph tended to the dying embers by himself. It was a quiet, clear evening, perfect for sleeping outdoors. He had placed a blanket on the floor to use as bedding, when he heard the voices.

"Why do we have to do this tonight? It's pretty late…"

"Shuush, you! You don't get to talk. Bran was  the one that…"

"We're not going over this again, you two. The twins should be asleep, so let's just…"

The hushed, but angry voices assaulted his senses. He could tell that they were his disciples, but the snippets of conversation did not reveal much. Peeking back into his house to see if the twins were asleep, Aleph decided to intercept his noisy students before they really did start a commotion. 

"Hello, children. What brings-"

He stopped at a strange scene. The bickering Lacey and Rayse were carrying Brandon, who was the one trying to calm them down. Their arguing stopped cold upon seeing him, their angry expressions changing to remorse in an instant.

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