Grand Creation - 1

My head fell over her shoulder, her faint scent wafting over my nose and lulling my eyes. Placing me in a sort of slumber that lasted until we arrived.

Let out outside the gates of the mansion, where the servants waited, bowed and with various plates and instruments.

A grand welcome.

I looked over to Emilia, a question on my face.

She merely smirked and placed her hand over mine.

"A little surprise… There was something you wanted to talk to me about… let's not do that on an empty stomach."

I chuckled before taking her hand in mine, opening the door and letting us both out. 

Stretching my body, I found myself walking towards the dining room, a place I had not used yet. Did not even know the location of.

Only that food was delivered from there.

But that was not the case now, as I sat opposite of Emilia, dishes of all kinds placed upon the table. 

I took bites, silently eating with Emilia. And when we were done, completely satisfied, I was lead hand in hand to Emilia's room. 

Sat in the same chair that I had used the previous night.

"Emilia…" I muttered, drawing her attention. She hummed and sat next to me, practically leaning her head into mine.

Where our foreheads could touch. 

"I… remember the midterm, the dungeon."

She tilted her head, leaning her head against my shoulder, whispering in my ear a confirmation.

"I do… it was our first proper… cooperation"

Again she drowled out her words, but this time I could sense faint amusement among her words. As if she found something immensely entertaining.

My face was flushed, I could tell. But as for the reason, I couldn't tell you.

"Something happened… an innate ability? Some quark of my mana…?"

I opened my hand, placing it upon two things in the room. The closest that I could reach.

They dissapeared immediately, and in my head I could hear the ringing as they fused together. Mana and pen mixed together. 

A creation that only now, with focus, I could tell was being created.

It spat out a fountian pen, only the ink was not ink but mana. A pen that could write in mana, or more commonly known as a runic pen.

An expensive item that varied greatly in quality.

But just by the shock in Emilia's eyes as she took it in her hands, looking at the dissapearence of her pen and stone.

It brought a smirk to her, at least once she had puzzled out what had happened.

"Crafting… no… they are fused together too well. Then it must be…"

"Yes… fusion… I can fuse anything. Create something better than what I had been given."

She stood up, taking the pen with her, and with a bit of pressure wrote upon an empty piece of paper she had taken.

A small symbol, that without any mana would have merely been that, a symbol.

But with the runic pen it sparked, burning the very paper that it had been written on.

"I trust you… I don't know why, truly, but I do trust you, and that's why I want your help. To create a better weapon. One that can allow me to stand by your side."

I immediately look away, cringing at what I had just said. It had sounded so much better in my head then when I said it outloud.

But when I felt a hand reach to my head, pulling it back to her. I just couldn't resist. And neither could I resist when she pulled me back into research.

…

…

…

Time passed, the sun set in the dark air. Yet neither of us noticed it, not when the curtains were closed.

I wiped the sweat from my head, looking down at the objects we had created. All mundane, because that was what we had on hand.

Yet even then, I found myself proud of what I had created. No, what we had created. For had it not been for Emilia's help, her resources, I would not have had the mind to try this.

[Sharpened sword]

[Created using the skill and craftsmenship of a tens of blacksmiths, using their finished projects. All in order to create a masterful work.]

[Lightened Shoes]

[Using a string of characters placed upon a pair of shoes, this has taken the properties of air. Lightening the steps of those who wore them.]

Hundreds of other objects rested upon the table. Some small, others bigger. But those two, those were what had stood out. 

Creations made using the combined effort of Emilia and I.

First the sword. Created using the excess steel from some blacksmith, and the sharpest points of the swords we could find in her house.

Using that I fused them together in order to create the sword. We had already tested it and found it equivalent to an artifact of the first rank.

Artifacts came in many sizes and shapes, but the relevent ones would be support and offense. Offense was ranked on both its durability, the amount of times it could be used, and offense, of course.

A first rank artifact, would be equivalent to a wind spell, one that could cut through iron with ease and metals a tad stronger with difficulty.

However support items were different, ranked by how much they could help someone. For support items of the first rank it could only support a first rank mage.

However seeing as how we had made these artifacts with nothing but things Emilia had around the house. It was a miracle that they were even that strong.

And we had even discovered something new. That my fusion system could take the runic sequences we created and correctly apply them to the items I created.

However it was not without risk. As improperly created items were unstable, judging by the hundreds of failures.

Ones that had cracked and broken immediately upon coming out. With no use at all.

Yet now, as I woke from my sleep, a new day dawning, I found myself strapping the shoes over my feet and the sword over my waist.

All while Emilia did the same, only with her own artifacts. A sword comparable to my own, only it had its own power, and gloves that let her memorize spells in it and release them later.

Preparation for what was to come today.

For it would be our first dungeon raid and more than that, a gathering of materials. After all, I couldn't always rely on her for money, for materials, and for support.

I wanted to stand with her, not behind her.