Shattered Moonstone

After moving Hecatolite to a bed in the medical offices Taaffeite and Alastair returned to their duties, they considered bringing her home, but they found themselves unable to pry the rifle from the young girl's hand so they decided it best to let her rest there. Hopefully she will wake soon and can release the weapon for them to fully inspect. Alexa had “identified” it and learned that it was indeed enchanted now, more specifically it has become a Relic to some unknown god, the same as her staff. The real only difference is her staff is a named item, the “safety stick” of unknown, where the rifle is unnamed in the world system. 

“I wonder why I can’t see its enchantments like I can with the… safety stick” Alexa spoke to the empty room as she watched over her sister. She couldn’t say she cared much for the name of her holy artifact, but it would be blasphemy to not call a relic by its name. She wondered if it was a relic before Hecatolite had removed the blessings from it, but it was too late to know now, she should have identified it first. “The church of Valor is going to be relentless if they find out we defiled a relic.” She sighed pulling up the identification she had performed.

Safety stick of “unknown”

This enchanted staff is a relic in the name of “unknown”, granted with the power to gather and store ambient mana to be expelled at the wielder's will. It is attuned to use “error” type of mana and will be locked to only use spells of the “error” school.  This staff is imbued with the will of “unknown” and as such will be unbreakable by mortal means. It is currently “soul bound” to Alexandrite Lapidary and will reject use by anyone other than Alexandrite Lapidary.

“There are two errors in there. Did she break it when she pulled Valor’s blessing from it?” Alexa pondered rolling the staff in the hand. “Babylon, can you give me any information on the relic… Safety stick?” She asked as she summoned a terminal. 

“None that your Identification spell would not have already informed you of.” The scene flashed its crimson read illuminating the room around her. “It would appear that the staff is fully charged with Mana however.”

“Fully charged?” she said repeatedly tapping the end of the rod on the floor. “With what kind of mana?”

“Mana” the word flashed in the center of a now yellow screen.

“Don’t get sassy with me or I’ll give you to Hecatolite.” Alexa replied, releasing the skill and allowing Babylon to dissolve. “Just mana, I wonder if that’s why the errors are there. She just ripped the limitations out and called it a day… is that safe? Forgive me unknown god or goddess.” She said as she slowly began to push her mana into the staff tracing the enchantment rings.

Alexa was surprised to find the enchantments in the staff were in complete disarray, a complete jumble of mana that was nearly indecipherable. Some were just fragments, not connected to anything only being fueled by the residual mana coming off the main enchantment. The main enchantment itself was a tight coil of… pure energy it seemed, so tightly wound in the head of the staff that Alexa had no hope of deciphering it however she did manage to find her own mana in it. The soul binding enchantment seemed to feed her own ice and healing mana into the gemstone at the head which seemed to give it its coloration. 

Alexa gave up on trying to map the enchantments as she heard a rustling from the bed beside her. She will have to be careful with this “safety stick” until she’s sure it won’t explode from Hecatolite’s meddling.

“What happened?” Hecatolite's quiet voice trickled out as she sat up.

“Well… we aren’t sure.” Alexa replied, feeling her head. “What do you remember?”

“Got weapons for safety… a cane… and gun. Now I am here.” Hecatolite shook her head, blinked a few times. “Inutill, explain.”

There was a small thunderclap as Hecatolite summoned her Babylon terminal. 

Why does hers make so much noise, everyone else’s is so quiet. Alexa thought as she continued to check her sister’s condition.

“Hecatolite, it appears you force enchanted your rifle. Would you like to assign a name to the rifle?”

A name for the rifle? Hecatolite thought, noticing the long gun laying next to her in the bed. Well, I know what a gun is. It throws a small metal… bullet, like a rock. Really fast. Instant….

“Hecatolite please be care….” Alexa was about to warn her sister about naming a relic, but it was too late.

“It’s kind of like an instant rock intervention system.” Hecatolite muttered under her breath inspecting the gun's now blackened handle.

“Name registered.”

“Instant Rock Intervention System” of “unknown”

This enchanted rifle is a relic in the name of “unknown”, granted with the power to gather and store ambient mana to be expelled at the user's will. This rifle is capable of firing “mana bullets” from the stored mana pool, if fired while not loaded this rifle will expel the mana equivalent of one standard bullet. If fired while loaded it is possible to use the mana to enhance the power of the fired round. This provisional weapon is blessed by the will of “unknown” and is indestructible by mortal means. This weapon is “soul bound” to Hecatolite Lapidary and will reject use by anyone other than Hecatolite Lapidary. This weapon is locked while under revision and will only be able to be used by its creator and will be unable to be recreated until the revision process is complete. 

This provisional weapon is awaiting review for world balance and may be subject to immediate removal from the system.

“Careful naming it.” Alexa finished with a sigh as she glanced over the Babylon screen floating before them. “So, it's the same as the Safety stick huh. Wait, a provisional weapon… subject to immediate removal? Just what did you make Hecatolite?”

“Weapon for safety. IRIS.” Hecatolite said checking the gun over, “mana bullet? Need test.” She pointed the gun at the Babylon screen and slowly pulled the trigger. 

“Wait” Alexa again was a second to late, as the hammer fell the white lines on the barrel of the gun flashed as a small puff of mana fired from the end. A near invisible ball of mana slammed into Babylon leaving it unharmed as the mana dissipated. The only sound was the dull thud of a bean sized ball of mana slamming into the obsidian slab.

Hecatolite hummed as she inspected the gun again. “Weak. Should have put a hole in dumb box.”

“Hecatolite!” Alexa yelled grabbing the gun pulling it from Hecatolite’s hands, only for the second it left contact with her sister it dissipated into smoke much like Babylon did when canceled. “What… just happened?”

“I don’t know…. Maybe like Inutil? IRIS.” Hecatolite called holding her hand out like she was holding the grip of her new rifle. With a slight flash it reappeared in her hand. “Good, always have then.” She nodded, releasing the gun letting it dissipate. “Now to make bullets, need more power. Mana bullet seems weak.”

“Babylon, why doesn’t my staff dissipate like that?” Alexa asked as Hecatolite started to play by summoning her rifle in different positions. 

“The “Instant Rock Intervention System” of “unknown” is currently “soul bound” and locked by the system to only be useable by Hecatolite Lapidary, as such as to keep from anyone else attempting to use or recreate the “Instant Rock Intervention System” of “unknown” the system has temporarily bound it to Hectolite’s soul much like the Lapidary bloodline skill: Babylon.”

Mother is not going to be happy about that. Alexa sighed as she watched Hecatolite toss the gun to the side, grinning as it disappeared. Just then Hecatolite’s head snapped to the side, her eyes locked on the window that was left open illuminating the room in the soft glow of the now setting sun.

“Hungry. Dinner time?” Hecatolite spoke as she jumped from the bed and snatched up her new cane from the desk. 

Unbeknownst to the entirety of the Lapidary family, the earlier shockwave had traveled further than anyone expected. Mages in every corner of the continent felt the fluctuation, and people later reported feeling a strange wind up to 40miles away, this caused a deep panic to set into the minds of people. Many rumors had been circulating about the church of Valor gearing up for a demon lord going as far as to summon heroes; or that Alamgir was preparing a crusade southward, with their humanity driven ideals. Most people settled on either the wave of power marking the birth of a demon or a hero; neither meant good news for the world as a whole.

Sitting in a lavish chair Father Joshua fidgeted nervously as he watched the small fire in his office fireplace. The past few weeks had aged the man well beyond his years, and it seemed as if his worries were only growing as just a few hours ago a wave of magical energy shook the entire city. 

He clasped his hands in prayer as he heard a light knocking at his door. “Come in.” he called in a shaky voice. 

The door did not open as a strange smoke seemed to seep in from the gap below the door. An envelope appeared in the thick smoke as it receded, depositing it on the floor. 

“Oh thank the heavens!” he nearly dove for the envelope before tearing it open.

“Dear Father Joshua, we will need you to move the package Blessed Alexander was supposed to receive to the port town of Sandstone in three days’ time along with the bodies of Alexander and Vincent. We will send a special carriage fitting of the task soon, once there, leave the carriage in the storehouse and a team from the Holy land will take it from there. May the light of the holy father guide you.”

As he read the letter, he could feel the tension leave his shoulders.

Only three more days, then I can be rid of that thing. He felt a pull on his mind as a wave of magic radiated from the floorboards of his office. Hopefully we can contain it until then.

He tossed the letter into the fire before heading out to check the wards.