Alistair stepped into the sprawling workshop that Denodia had claimed for herself. Massive vats lined the walls, each filled with a shimmering, mana-saturated liquid. Inside them, dragon bones soaked, glowing faintly as the liquid cycled and pulsed with magical energy. Every piece of the dragons had been harvested with precision: the meats and organs were preserved, while the bones were treated in a complex magical process that both strengthened and aged them. Simply letting the bones lie around in such a mana-dense environment might have worked, but Denodia’s methods were far more efficient.

  Resni scurried about, making rounds between the vats. Her face alighted with excitement as she inspected the bones and scales. She took notes with fervor, admiring the craftsmanship of the enhancement process.

  Her excitement faded, however, when she caught sight of her weapon lying on a nearby table. It was still in the slow, painstaking process of repairing itself, nearly destroyed from its last encounter. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she traced a finger along its fractured surface.

  “I don’t blame you,” she said gently, looking up at him. “You’ve outgrown this weapon. And while my skills have come a long way… I’m not confident that I’m ready to work with the kind of materials required to create something that could withstand your power now.”

  Denodia, noticing Resni’s uncertainty, stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, her expression warm and encouraging. “I would be honored if you’d join me in melding your work with mine,” she said. “Together, we could create something that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.”

  Resni’s eyes lit up at the offer, and she gave Denodia a respectful, deep bow. “No, it would be my honor to assist. Thank you for this opportunity, Empress Denodia.”

  Denodia shook her head with a smile, dismissing the formality. “Come on, I’ve told you—just call me Denodia. We’ll be working together often, and I can tell you’re not one for formalities in the workshop.”

  The dwarf looked briefly surprised but chose not to question it, as the informality suited her perfectly. Denodia’s ability to glimpse the future was mostly kept under wraps, along with her true species. Alistair, however, suspected that Resni would quickly notice Denodia’s knack for foresight. After all, most who spent enough time with Denodia eventually put the pieces together.

  Denodia then turned to him, pulling out a large, black poleaxe with a deep red sheen and holding it out to Alistair. Still, when he tried to grab it, she pulled it away with a teasing smile on her face, "This is a prototype, mostly made of Dragonstalk and other dungeon materials that I soaked for quite a while. I don't mind if you wreck it, but know this is the only one I have as I am more occupied with creating enhancement formulas." noticing Resni's excited expression, she added, "I can show you the process if you would like, the alchemists were a great help and the recourses the clan provides make everything so much smoother, I am almost halfway to grade 7 due to all the experiments, and crafts I had to hold off on for so long."

  “Congratulations. If you keep that up, you might be the first in the clan to reach grade 7,” Alistair said as he handed her the poleaxe.

  Denodia gave him a weak smile. “I doubt that. You and Riseth are bound to rack up records fast from here on out, and good crafting takes time. There are only so many projects I can manage at once.” She paused, glancing off thoughtfully. “And then there’s Nessyra. With all the work she does—and the ability to create avatars to tackle multiple tasks at once—I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually beats all of us to it.”

  “Aye,” Resni agreed. “I’ve already tried to emulate that ability—it’s tricky as hell.”

  Alistair looked the poleaxe over. It was sleeker, with a more refined build than Resni’s usual rustic style, though it had a surprising heft. As he let his energy flow through the weapon, he could feel the improvement over his last one—but not by much, likely due to the lack of system-created metal. Denodia, who no doubt had seen the question coming, cut him off before he could ask.

  “As you might have noticed, it isn’t much better than your other weapon in terms of energy transmission. That’s because it is missing the system metals your old weapon had. Creating or acquiring a material with comparable energy conductivity will take some time if I manage it at all, and I didn't wish to use our limited supply of the material for a prototype.” She paused, looking at Resni apologetically, "That is one of the reasons we plan to use your old weapon and combine it with the materials we acquired from the dragons and Platinum Lilly to craft something that will be able to keep up with you and grow alongside you as your armor already does. Your Karmic connection and experiences with that weapon will be a great boon and could lead to some interesting developments, but I don't wish to give you false hopes."

  Alistair shook his head. “With two genius crafters like you, I’m sure the two of you will come up with something special.” He paused, fingers absently tracing the blade as he looked toward the door. “Not that I expect you to finish before the raid—it’s long overdue and could start any moment.”

  Resni followed his gaze to the door. “Where’s Riseth, anyway? We told her we’re ready for her bone blade spirit to absorb the dragon bone.”

  “She wanted to sleep in a little longer,” Alistair replied, “but I can sense her approaching. She should be here any second.”

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  “I don’t sense her,” Resni said, a note of concern creeping into her voice as she narrowed her eyes.

  Alistair smiled slightly as the door opened. Riseth had grown quite adept at masking her aura and presence, and thanks to their soul resonance, Alistair was one of the few who could locate her. Even Resni, with her specialization in control and sensory stats, struggled to sense her approach.

  She waved at them as she stepped forward to hug Denodia, who had moved ahead to greet her, then bent down to give Resni a quick embrace. “Sorry for being late; I had some things to take care of.”

  “It’s alright,” Resni replied casually before signaling them to follow her.

  Alistair couldn’t help but notice the gleam in both Resni’s and Denodia’s expressions as Denodia led them to one of the side chambers. Inside, more body parts were being treated in vats of dense, magical liquids, each a unique color and transparency. Some were so opaque that Alistair could only see through them thanks to his Conceptual Awareness skill.

  The room held treasures and materials he didn’t recognize, many of which had an intense affinity for kinetics. Among them was a large vat filled with a dark, viscous liquid that resonated powerfully with the Kinetics concept. Suspended within it was Arkzer’s heart, connected to tubes that made it beat artificially.

  Denodia stepped up beside him, a satisfied expression on her face. “As you might know, we pay our delvers a high premium for treasures with the Kinetic Concept, or other concepts the clan needs. Kinetic-specific treasures are incredibly rare, but unattuned ones are more common—still rare, but manageable. I meant to catch you up on everything, but things have been busy. I’ll keep you informed as plans progress; I don’t yet know if all of this will work out, but I’ll let you know when it does.”

  “What exactly are you trying to make here?” Alistair asked, narrowing his focus on the setup. Though weaker now, the heart still held some of its inherent qualities and multiple tubes connected to it—some cycling kinetic-infused liquid, others pumping in substances with restorative properties.

  “It’s a bit complicated, so I’ll keep it simple.” Denodia gave him a focused look. “I’m working on attuning the heart to kinetic energy and restoring it, aiming to create a treasure that is both attuned to kinetics and strength. I’ll probably need to upgrade the casing a few times as the energy refines. Still, eventually, it should let me infuse or even convert other treasures with kinetic properties much more efficiently. Either way, it’ll be useful—and if all else fails, you could still extract powerful essences for your body enchantments. However, I do have high hopes for this treasure to support my future crafting endeavors.”

  Alistair whistled appreciatively, but Denodia had already moved on to join Resni and Riseth, who were standing in front of another vat containing a massive dragon bone suspended in a clear, mana-rich liquid. As he approached, he noticed that the other hearts they’d collected were in similar states, each with a unique concept—except for one, which was attuned only to healing and restoration.

  It was hard to tell if they intended to create a stable dragon mana heart or something purely focused on healing properties, but he looked forward to seeing the results. He knew it would be a long and arduous process. One heart floated in a liquid that seemed to be made of refined unicorn horn, reduced down to just its luck and purity aspects, along with other luck-attuned treasures likely obtained from the Platijum Lily. He wondered if they would actually make a breakthrough or simply end up wasting their resources.

  Then again, treasures tied to the luck concept and genuine dragon parts were incredibly rare and fiercely sought after in the wider multiverse. Even if they were successful, they’d likely have to keep it hidden—many dragons would likely consider this kind of practice downright heretical.

  Meanwhile, Denodia tapped a few commands into a nearby console, and Alistair heard a satisfying click as the top of the vat unlocked. “Alistair, if you would do the honors?” Denodia prompted as he joined the rest of the group.

  He raised his hands, carefully lifting the bone out of the vat with telekinesis, hovering the massive piece in front of Riseth. She drew her bone blades, and Alistair could almost feel the anticipation of the spirit within the weapon. The blades began to shift, tendrils of bone reaching out to envelop the floating dragon bone. Alistair grimaced slightly as he felt the sensation through his telekinesis, the unsettling feeling making him shudder.

  He then let go, as the tendrils seemed to support the entire weight of the bone, breaking it down and absorbing it into their structure. The drake bone that had previously formed the blades was shed, replaced by the much richer draconic essence of the new material. The presence of the weapon spirit noticeably strengthened, brushing against his mind with a touch of telepathy. Alistair shuddered again, joined by the rest of the group.

  Riseth frowned, her gaze fixed on the weapon as it slowly finished absorbing the dragon bone. The weapon's texture and appearance transformed before returning to its base form.

  “Is there a problem?” Alistair asked, stepping closer.

  Riseth shook her head, a hint of disbelief on her face. “No… but the spirit just asked me how I’m doing and when we’re going to stab someone again.”

  Alistair burst out laughing. “Are you sure you didn’t fat-finger the selection and end up with a murder-happy weapon?”

  “Maybe that’s what the system considers helpful?” Riseth suggested.

  “Certainly better than a weapon that doesn’t want to stab anyone,” Alistair replied with a grin.

  Just then, he felt the telepathic presence reach out to him as well. “See? Your husband gets it!”

  “It’s much more articulate than I expected,” Alistair noted.

  “You heard that?” Riseth asked.

  “Rude!” the spirit huffed.

  “I can hear it too,” Denodia said, with Resni nodding along beside her.

  “Exciting stuff! I’d love to have a closer look at a system-created spirit,” Resni added.

  “So would I,” Denodia agreed.

  “You’ve got plenty of lab rats already! No need to add me to the mix!” the spirit retorted.

  “Do you have a name?” Riseth asked.

  “I don’t have one, but please let your husband name me—before you name me Stabby or something,” the spirit replied.

  Alistair chuckled. “I have my moments. Any requests or direction for your name?”

  “I like to stab and rip things apart!” the spirit replied enthusiastically, transforming into a set of chainswords in Riseth’s hands, the blades now resembling serrated dragon teeth spinning rapidly while emitting a rather unsettling noise as it displaced the air.

  “How about Jack?” Alistair suggested, a grin spreading on his face.

  Everyone looked confused—except for Denodia, who immediately facepalmed.