Bran poked at the distribution plate with a small pick while he checked the physical alignment of the gears. "I need some real time with this junk," he muttered without looking up from the workbench. "The physical bones of this thing are crooked as a mountain road, and I need to straighten them out before we even think about the magic."
Jacob nodded and wiped his hands on a clean rag while he looked toward the barn door. "That works out perfectly for us because we need to get back to the house for my brother's birthday celebration."
Sera smiled at the boy while she began to gather her heavy cloak from the hook. "You should come over to the house when you reach a stopping point, Bran. May is preparing a large meal, and there will be plenty of food and possibly some cake for everyone."
Bran did not respond with words as he was already lost in the mechanical puzzle of the brass assembly. He gave a low, distracted grunt as he reached for a metal file to begin smoothing out a rough edge on the drive wheel.
Jacob could tell that the boy would likely skip the party entirely if it meant he could spend more time with the new gears.
The walk back to the farmhouse was quick as the afternoon sun began to dip toward the horizon. They entered the kitchen where the air smelled of baking sugar and savory herbs.
May was busy stirring a heavy pot over the hearth while Lila stood on a small stool beside her. The five-year-old was trying to help as much as she could by carefully placing dried berries into a decorative bowl.
"You two are just in time to help with the final preparations before Caleb gets back from the fields," May said while offering a warm look toward Sera.
Sera immediately moved toward the counter to help Lila with the fruit while Jacob lingered in the threshold of the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
"I have a few things to check in my room before the party starts," he mentioned to his mother.
Jacob closed the door to his room and sat at his small desk, where the lead box he found useful for containing annoying magical items sat in the center of the wood. He reached inside and pulled out the Void Gauntlet.
The matte black surface of the stone seemed to absorb the flickering light of the single candle on the wall.
He knew his ability to strip away an existing enchantment was already solid, and he needed to test a much more dangerous combination of techniques that would require this ability.
He laid a single Earth Core on the desk next to the dark gauntlet. He wanted to try layering his three-dimensional runes in such a way that allowed them to interface directly with the raw power of the core.
He needed to ensure his focused intent could bridge the gap between the physical stone and the complex geometry of the mana if he ever wanted to get his magic working for something as complex as the farm equipment in the barn.
If he could get all three of these elements to work together within the void stone, the potential for his future enchantments would be limitless. He took a deep breath and reached out with his mind to begin the delicate process of mapping the first circuit.
Jacob sat at the sturdy wooden desk and adjusted the single candle so the light fell directly across the matte black surface of the void gauntlet. He took a long breath to steady his racing pulse before he picked up the pulsing Earth Core.
Removing the complex organic geometry within the core was no longer a problem at this point, as he was able to easily direct his magic to remove it by utilizing it as a partner instead of just a tool.
His first few attempts to merge the complex geometry with the metal of the void gauntlet resulted in nothing but a localized crackle of wasted energy that made his fingertips sting.
He realized that simply pushing the mana from one vessel to another was like trying to force a river through a solid stone wall.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to focus on the sensation of the mana within the geometry of the core. He shifted his approach by using his intent to visualize the earth magic as a thick and viscous fluid that wanted to find a deeper home.
Instead of trying to command the energy to merge, he used a focused visualization to merge the essence of the core with his own magic and guide it toward the dark void of the gauntlet.
The black metallic stone seemed to sigh as the terrestrial power finally sank into its depths without any further resistance.
The trick, as he realized, was to match the flow of the gauntlet with his own flow while treating the complex geometry of the core as a sort of electrolyte that hitched a ride within his magical stream.
With the mana now held within the gauntlet, Jacob began the grueling task of constructing the three-dimensional runes. He did not merely draw the lines of power on the surface but instead reached into the center of the field of the strange metallic stone with his mind.
He layered in strengthening runes with healing runes, then he placed lightness runes and comfort runes for good measure. To push his creation, he also added runes for warmth and precision. Each rune was pushed into its three-dimensional version while adding his personal twist based on his intent.
Honestly, he thought to himself, I need to see if that journal dad has contains any more runes so I can get the full picture of our legacy. It would be nice if I didn't have to bend a healing rune into something that forces self-repair.
He saw the runes as golden threads of light that he bent into a complex and spherical lattice. He used his will to command the magic to stay in place while he twisted the geometric shapes into a structure that felt like a cage for the raw power he had just transferred.
The enchantment still felt brittle, and several of the junctions between the runes began to flicker with a dangerous instability. Jacob could feel the magic threatening to collapse into a chaotic explosion of force that would likely destroy his desk and everything on it.
He realized that his logical commands were not enough to account for the infinitesimal gaps in the three-dimensional geometry. He decided to switch up his philosophy by relaxing his grip on the power and softening his mental presence as he would for his intent-based enchanting.
Jacob reached out toward the flickering pulses of mana that danced near the workbench. He did not try to seize the power or force it into a specific shape.
Instead, he opened his mental grasp and projected a sense of welcome, offering the gauntlet as a home for the energy to do its thing. He focused on the places where his own calculations fell short within the layered three-dimensional runes.
The magic responded with a slow surge that felt like a tidal wave washing onto shore. It began to coil around the etched runes, flowing into the channels with the ease of water returning to a dry creek bed.
Jacob watched in his mind as the energy found the connections he had missed. It bridged the microscopic divides between the special properties of the metal and the magical intent, moving with a fluid grace that his logic could not have dictated.
A low resonance started in the center of the gauntlet. It was a gentle hum that vibrated through the metal and into his fingertips.
The frantic, uneven heat of the raw mana settled into a warmth that seemed to unify the separate components into a single whole. He could feel the tension leaving the metal as the internal structure finally aligned with his visualization.
Jacob opened his eyes. The void stone was no longer just a dark-looking metal. A faint, amber glow pulsed within the depths of the gauntlet, looking like a distant lantern in a thick fog.
The way the gauntlet in his hand felt was balanced and natural in contrast with the previously foreign and dangerous feeling it gave off previously. He let out a breath he had been holding while he watched the light in the armor remain unchanged after a reasonable period.
Just as he finished, Sera walked into the room.
"I wanted to let you finish," she began, "but we are ready to begin. Arthur and Caleb are still headed in from the fields, but the table is set, and we can surprise them if you hurry."
Satisfied with his work, he left his desk as it was and headed out with Sera.
"By the way," she whispered as they shuffled around the door frame, "when you pull that magical shape out of the monster core, is that actually enchanting, or is that just magic?"