An hour later, the main set of veins for the two-runed katana was completed. So far, the process was the same as when crafting a single-runed sword. With a two-runed sword, the first set of veins was the easiest part.

  Vivi had chosen a white obsidian root to use as the core ether root. White obsidian was the opposite of iron in terms of its properties. It couldn’t hold much ether at once, but ether flowed within quickly, making it optimal for swiftness-based elements.

  While shaping the core stalk, Vivi had to plan ahead. She made the stalk far thinner and left the branches short. This was done to leave enough room for the next step of the process. The second set of veins.

  Before picking up the next ether root, Vivi had to set up the path that the second root would follow. She carved a hole inside the bottom of the main stalk. The hole extended vertically from the bottom of the hilt up toward the branches, making the lower part of the first stalk hollow.

  Right before the hole reached the first branches, Vivi carved two horizontal holes on each side of the main stalk. This revealed the vertical hole inside. Additionally, Vivi carved four smaller horizontal holes across the hilt of the main stalk. These steps were essential for carving swords with multiple runes.

  Choosing the next ether root was important. Vivi couldn’t use another white obsidian root, since roots of the same material would combine, making all of Vivi’s preparations useless. The two stalks had to be different enough that ether would flow separately, not combining together. The powers of the two different runes were not allowed to mix within the veins, before making it to the metal. The reaction would ruin a sword.

  The locium root would work… Vivi thought. Yet, she was reluctant to pick the root. Locium was known amongst scientists to be insanely erratic and difficult to work with. Grandpa had never tried it. If Vivi used the locium now, she could very well ruin it.

  “Let’s use it!” Lucius said. “We’re not here to mess around.”

  No, that would be stupid, Vivi thought. We’ll use the locium root for a three-runed blade. Let’s save it for a powerful sword.

  “Fine,” Lucius said. “What will we do, then?”

  Let’s use green mithril, Vivi said. Green mithril is conductive, and it holds a lot of power. I used one for my three-runed sword. Green mithril will work phenomenally with a sharpness rune.

  Lucius appeared disappointed, but he played along. Vivi picked up the mithril root and placed it in the vise. “This next step is probably going to look a little silly…” she said.

  Vivi held the first set of veins above the mithril root so that the tip of the root poked into the hole at the bottom of the veins. The root was secured to the vise, but Vivi balanced the veins with her hands.

  “I’m going to need to concentrate for this step, so please don’t bother me,” Vivi said. Upon saying this, Rensfig stayed extra silent, trying to hide himself in the room.

  “Lucius, initiate the root.”

  Ether flowed into the mithril root. The tip cracked open, and the stalk grew. Vivi felt pressure below her hands as the growing mithril root attempted to push the veins out of the way. She held it there firmly. Quickly, the mithril root found its path. The stalk of the second root grew inside the hole she’d created. After a few inches of growth, the mithril root's growth was firmly guided by Vivi's hole. She no longer had to balance the veins.

  The mithril root continued growing inside the first stalk. As it reached the first four horizontal holes, the pressure guided branches to grow outward through the holes. Vivi let the branches grow half an inch outward before cauterizing each one. Excess growth would all be cut later to create a smooth surface where runes could be carved.

  When the mithril root reached the last two holes, the mithril root was separated into two stalks extending out from the holes. The mithril stalks joined the branches of the first set of veins. Now the shaping process started.

  Vivi juggled guiding both of the mithril stalks through the pre-planned route. Her preparations with the first root came in handy. Vivi had prepared enough space for the second root to weave through holes near the sides of the sword, neatly intertwining with the first set of veins.

  The two separated stalks of the mithril root—which would house a sharpness rune when completed—wove near the edges of the blade. The sharpness rune didn't need to strengthen the core of the weapon. That job was left to the first root, the swiftness rune. Thus, Vivi shaped spiky branches with the mithril root only at the very edges of her sword, where the branches would strengthen the sharp edge of the weapon.

  Vivi quickly fell into concentration. Shaping two runes was exponentially more difficult compared to just one. If any of the branches she was shaping turned out the wrong shape, all of her work so far would be wasted. She’d need to start from scratch. Very little could be done after the fact to fix screwed-up veins.

  Vivi’s touch wasn’t impeccable. She made minor mistakes, shaping branches ever so slightly off. Not too off to cause the sword to become inoperational, but her work was far from the perfect runesword. Her two-week break still showed. Nevertheless, she let practice guide her movements, shaping the branches like a master artist painted a canvas.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Two-runed swords were difficult to craft. But they also had double the runes. A swiftness and a sharpness rune combination created an incredibly powerful duelists’ blade that a single-runed variant could never match. The best rune combinations could negate each other’s weaknesses, while strengthening a sword with the benefits of both runes. Swiftness made a sword incredibly smooth to swing, often improving a wielder’s accuracy and instincts, while a sharpness rune ensured that anything hit would be cut down.

  For the next three days, runesmithing was Vivi’s life. She shaped veins, carved runes, forged blades, until each and every sword was done.

  ***

  “She’s been in there for a while…” Ven said. He sighed as he leaned on the table. “I know we gave her three days, but you’d think she’d at least want to sleep on a bed? Does she not use the bathroom?”

  Aang breathed in. Runesmiths were crazy. Rensfig had already proven that. When a job became real, Rensfig often didn’t leave his lair for two days straight. He’d piss in a bucket to continue working, while barely eating anything at all. He rarely stayed for three days straight, however.

  “You think we’ll have a sword done by the end of the cycle?” Ven asked with a funny smile.

  “I doubt it,” Aang said. “Rensfig requires months to finish swords. Inside-carved swords must be even more intricate. I’m ready to wait half a year if that’s how long Vivi requires to complete another sword.”

  Ven sighed. “Did you really plan on fighting the Elder Gnoll again? Or did you just say that to get everyone pumped up like you always do?”

  “We will see. I am hoping to kill the boss if at all possible. It might just take half a year, depending on how long Vivi’s swords take to be completed.”

  The two lounged around in silence for a moment. Collection day was coming soon. As much as Aang would have loved to see just how long Vivi’s runesmithing spree would last, he knew he’d need to nudge her out of the cave soon.

  The door to Vivi’s smithy creaked ajar. Ven jumped from the couch. Aang lifted his head.

  Rensfig stepped out. There were lumps underneath his eyes. The scorch on his face had small cracks, reddish droplets of sweat flowing down his cheek. His body was seriously hot and dehydrated. It was almost as if he’d been sick for a week.

  Aang rushed over and grabbed hold of the old dwarf. “What happened?”

  “She’s insane…” Rensfig said. He let out a weak laugh. “Three days straight… Concentrating like that… Hammering with such force… Barely four hours of sleep in between…”

  “Rensfig?” Aang asked. “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m good,” Rensfig said. “I’m just too old for this. There is no way I can keep up. You should retire me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Aang asked.

  “The girl, Aang,” Rensfig said. “She’s completely insane.”

  “Is she okay?” Aang asked.

  “Yes, she’s more than okay,” Rensfig said. “She’s fucking phenomenal. Her work’s done. She asked me to bring you in.”

  Aang raised his eyebrows. Done? he thought. What do you mean done?

  With the door open, he could hear hammering from the small smithy. Vivi was forging something.

  “Walk in and see for yourself,” Rensfig said.

  Aang did just that. He fully opened the door, letting himself into the smithy. Immediately, the heat of the smithy made him uncomfortable. The room was like a sauna. It was no wonder Rensfig looked dehydrated.

  “Ah, there you are,” Vivi said, wearing a smithing apron. She hit the sword on the anvil for one last time, then reached up to hang her hammer back on the ropes.

  “Rensfig claims the sword is complete,” Aang said.

  “Yes, everything is done,” Vivi said. She grinned wide. Her fingers were black like a coal miner’s, and her smooth human skin was coated in sweat. Aang still found it odd to look at her. Humans looked so frail, with their small size, having no scorched spots in their skin at all. Yet somehow, Vivi was the one happily standing after three days in the smithy.

  “Here’s the first one,” Vivi said, picking up a sword from the back of the smithy. A different sword from the one she’d just been hammering. It was a green mithril broadsword of a similar shape as Black Rose.

  “It’s not pretty,” Vivi said, “but it should match Rohan’s armor well. Please try it out.”

  Aang picked up the blade. It was done already? He couldn’t believe it. Vivi had completed a runesword in three days. At this pace, they’d be fighting the Elder Gnoll by the end of the cycle.

  As Vivi had said, the sword didn’t look particularly impressive. Green mithril was not a metal Aang was afraid of when a sword of its kind passed on the street. The inside-veins shone vaguely within the metal, but green mithril wasn’t see-through like Vivi’s crystal mithril blade. The sword almost looked ordinary.

  Still, Aang trusted that Vivi hadn’t created anything useless. He flowed ether into the runes. Mass runes took in his ether. The buildup was slow. Slower than Black Rose. Aang waited for a few seconds while the inside veins lit up.

  Eventually, the sword became active.

  And a storm blazed into motion inside his core.

  Enhanced ether pillaged the sword’s metal like a hellish wildfire. The mass rune gave the sword more than just weight; the metal ascended into the most terrifying object Aang had held. The sword had a presence within his consciousness. It stared at its wielder with deep blazing eyes.

  A chill ran through Aang’s body, shaking his whole being. The sword fell from his hands, clanking against the ground.

  Impossible, Aang thought. What the hell had he just witnessed? This sword was insane. It felt as if the sword was alive.

  Vivi quickly picked up the sword from the floor. “I’m sorry. It hasn’t been sharpened yet, and the polish is awful. I’ll quickly give it a finish. Do you think Rohan can wield a sword like this?”

  Aang stood frozen for a moment. “Ah, yes,” he said. “This sword… If I wield it, I could stand a chance against the Elder Gnoll.”

  Vivi looked strangely nervous. “You like it?”

  Aang bowed. “I’m speechless. This sword is beyond my expectations. I can’t promise to be a worthy wielder, but I promise to give the Stewards a fair fight. With this sword, the dungeon could be cleared.”

  Vivi blinked, appearing surprised.

  “What’s the sword’s name?” Aang asked.

  The surprise turned to an awkward smile. “Uhm,” Vivi said, “that’s just a warm-up sword. Rohan can use that one for now, until I craft something better. The real swords are over here.” She turned around to grab something.

  A warm-up sword? Aang thought. What was this girl talking about? The most insane object Aang had ever held was a nameless practice sword?

  “I don’t know if a two-runed sword can be enough to defeat Uundref,” Vivi said. She came back with another sword. A beautiful adamantite katana, complex veins shining inside. “But I think this one came together nicely.”