The Runic Artist Chapter 27: Chapter 345 - Starforged

Read chapter 27 of The Runic Artist by Ellake on NovelPedia.

Nate walked beside Hurin as the powerfully built dwarf stomped down the metal hallway. Outside the viewing windows the stars sparkled in the distance while Eternia continued to claim the view, swirling in whites, blues and greens. “Whose ship are we on anyway?” asked Nate. “Mine, of course. Stellar Faction offered to bring one of their own but with my kin in the mix I demanded to host. Was nice to stick to it that old hag Jente as well!” replied Hurin, a smile on his face at his last comment. “You don’t like her?” “I like her just fine. Doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy sticking it to her on occasion. If you catch my drift. Still a little vigor in these old bones.” Nate’s lips turned up ever so slightly. “You don’t think you’re selling yourself a little short?” “You joking about my height or trying to butter me up? Either way, you’re liable to piss me off.” “So, more of the same then?” Hurin guffawed. “You ain’t so bad for a skinny kid, lad. Anyway, here we are!” Before them loomed two doors that led in towards the heart of the ship. Nate had explained in very basic terms about the stages of the Path of Ascendancy up to Pillar, without talking about how to achieve them. Once he’d finished, Hurin had grunted, stood up, and asked Nate to come for a walk with him. Since he’d asked, rather than demanded, Nate had agreed. Now Nate was just waiting to see what lay beyond the door. Hurin slapped his meaty palm against the doors and they rung like a bell before swinging inward silently. Within the room lay what Nate decided was basically a state of the art, magic included, blacksmith’s workshop. “You’re a blacksmith then?” asked Nate. “Runesmith kid, Runesmith. It’s why I invited you. You use runes too, I am told. Come have a look at this.” The doors swung silently closed as Nate followed Hurin over to a shining hunk of metal that glowed, even in the well-lit room. “This be it. The Starforge. Crafted it myself while I was still a Greater Divine and it saw me all the way to True Divine. Serves me still. What do you think?” Nate leaned over the glowing anvil, as the hunk of metal had solidified at Hurin’s approach. “Malleable, that’s a new one,” commented Nate as a small amount of Divine Energy dripped into him. Hurin grunted in disbelief or annoyance. Nate honestly couldn’t tell the difference with the cranky, old dwarf. “Others in there too. Shape, Split, Condense, Liquify…another new one. Hmm, what’s that…oh Forge. Then the expected ones, Heat, Mold, and Purify. This thing is pretty impressive. Peak-grade obviously. What’s it made from?” Hurin looked at Nate like he’d grown a second head. “You can tell all the Runes I embedded in it just by looking at the thing? The fuck kind of bullshit is that?! Of course it’s bloody Peak-grade. Each of those runes had to be powered by at least a High-grade artifact. The Peak-grade is the metal itself. It’s a fragment of a dead star. Cost me all my liquidity at the time but paid itself back many times over. Hmm…look at this for me lad?” Nate took the offered black rod. “Sensing, Information, Transfer, and Filtering. I am guessing you use this to figure out what Concepts are embedded within artifacts.” Hurin was too busy shaking his head as he took back the black rod. “Un-fucking-believable. Can all of those on the Path of Ascendancy do that? Just look at an item and tell what Concepts are in it?” Nate shook his head. “Not all. Don’t know about Pillars though. I know my Master kind of can, in a roundabout way. At least with people anyway but I can see how he could twist it to work on artifacts.” Hurin looked thoughtful. “If I let you use my Starforge, what would you make with it?” “Why would I use your Starforge?” asked Nate in confusion. “How do you mold and create things then?” Nate turned around, having already sensed something on one of the shelves. He moved over and picked up the small piece of silver metal. Within it was the Concept of Revelation. “May I?” Hurin looked like he wanted to say no, but a