Firenze had been waiting for the cue and immediately switched to a smaller pair of forging tongs. With practiced precision, he pulled the glowing rod from the mold and carefully laid it across the enchanted anvil.
Brand stepped up on one side, gripping a massive hammer, while Alex climbed onto a riser opposite him, a slightly smaller hammer appearing in his hand. Despite the size difference, the purpose was the same.
Clang.
Bang.
Clang.
The forging began, Not brute force, but rhythm. They struck in turns, each impact echoing like a verse in a smith's ancient hymn.
With every blow, shimmering runes flickered across the hammerheads. The anvil itself answered, its etched patterns glowing faintly beneath the strikes.
Alex had inscribed each tool with runes, adapted from those on his enchanted constructs, but now, stronger, and more refined.
The hammers, large and small, moved with purpose.
Clang, clang, clang.
One beat, then another. Force and finesse, heat and harmony.
The glowing rod flattened slowly under their blows, spreading, lengthening, shifting.
Stroke by stroke, it began to resemble a weapon. When the heat waned, they returned it to the flames.
The furnace roared like a sleeping beast stirred awake. The metal drank in the fire once more, glowing a dangerous red.
Then again: Clang. Bang. Clang.
Sparks danced like fireflies around them, the anvil singing under every strike. Heat, strike, reheat, strike again.
And slowly, its shape emerged. A sword. From hilt to blade, faint star-like runes shimmered just beneath the surface, woven into the metal like constellations in motion.
"Quench it!" Brand shouted, voice sharp with reverence.
Firenze stepped forward and carefully plunged the glowing sword into a nearby cooling tank.
A sharp hiss filled the forge, followed by a puff of greenish steam. As the vapor cleared, the blade stood revealed in its completed form, beautiful, deadly, and undeniably magical.
"We're halfway there," Brand muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Even under all that heat, this thing didn't soften up easily. Took everything I had to get it into shape."
Alex let out a tired breath, clearly just as drained. "Next is the rune inscription," he said between gasps. "Then we move on to the final enchantments. But after it's been infused with spellwork and magic power… this level of heat won't be enough to touch it again."
"Let's talk about the rest once you've enchanted it," Brand said, stepping aside to gulp down water from a large tank.
Meanwhile everyone peeked out of the enchanted felt bag and realized it was already dark outside. Clearly, the next step of the forging process would have to wait until tomorrow. If the enchanting phase ended up taking longer than expected, it might take a couple more days to complete everything.
Alex nodded, carefully stowed away the sword blank in his hands, and followed a few centaurs back to the camp. He'd be staying here for the next few days, fully focused on completing the forging of this "Magical Artifact," so he might as well live here for the time being.
When they got back to the camp, they found that Fang and Ronan, who'd been horsing around since the morning, had ended up playing together. A lively bonfire party had started in the center of the camp, and many centaurs who lived nearby had come out to join in the fun. The atmosphere was joyful, full of laughter and chatter.
But Alex wasn't really in the mood to celebrate. He barely touched the food, grabbing a bit of meat to eat before heading to the lodging the centaurs had prepared for him. He needed the quiet to plan out the rune inscriptions for the sword.
Honestly, he'd been thinking about how to forge this sword ever since he got the dragon heart tendon. He had a plan in mind even before he started, but with materials this rare and valuable, he had to be extra cautious. Double-checking every attribute of the sword and the material used gave him peace of mind.
As soon as he got back to his room, Alex laid a soft piece of leather across the desk, carefully placed the sword blank on top, and pulled out several magical instruments to begin testing.
The sword was 110cm long, with an 80cm blade and a 30cm hilt, weighing exactly 700 grams. Though it didn't have a guard installed yet, the grip felt just right in his hand, balanced and firm.
The results of the tests were better than he expected. The sword had exceptional magical properties.
Thanks to the refined mithril in the casting and the dragon heart tendon acting as the core, its ability to conduct magic rivaled even high-end wands. In fact, it was practically a wand, just shaped like a sword.
The blade's hardness far surpassed regular steel, reaching something close to diamond levels. And yet, its flexibility was just as impressive, Alex could bend it nearly 90 degrees just by pressing against the spine. It was a perfect blend of strength and flexibility.
"It really is a masterpiece," he murmured. "I've waited nearly a year for you. The next step is the enchantment... and this is where things have to be absolutely precise."
With that, Alex took out a roll of parchment from his space ring. After unrolling it across the desk, a detailed design of the sword was revealed. Every part, from the blade to the tip, hilt, and spine, was marked with rune placements.
"This sword will be my main weapon from now on," Alex said softly, almost like he was speaking to the sword itself. "I've made a lot of gear for defense, movement, sensing, even stealth... but weapon like this? Not often. That's why I need to get it exactly right."
"First things first," he continued, eyes scanning the blueprint. "A sword needs to be durable. So I'll need to inscribe solidification runes, iron armor, flame resistance, cold protection, and shock resistance. Those will all go along the spine."
"Next, flexibility matters too. I'll add transformation runes, those will be the heart of the hilt."
"And most importantly... control." His voice lowered as he tapped the sketch near the sword's frame. "I'll carve the core 'control' rune here. Based on everything I know about control magic, even if this sword leaves my hand, I'll still be able to move it like it's part of me."
He paused, taking a deep breath, eyes gleaming in the candlelight as he stared at the sword blank. There was still a lot of work to be done, but something told him that once complete, this blade would be more than just a weapon, it would be another legend like they Gryffindor's sword.
"In terms of pure killing power, the 'Thundris Tempest' enchantment is already strong," he muttered, deep in thought.
"But the physical damage still needs a boost." That's why he planned to engrave the 'Sharpness' rune, an enchantment he had broken down from the 'Invisible Edge Curse', right along the blade and tip of the sword. It would increase cutting power dramatically.
"And during this past year," he continued to himself, "after researching Shalltear's vampire traits, I figured I'd have to include the modified version of the 'Permanent Energy Absorption Spell' as well."