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“Here you are. Wondered where you went off to.” Arenvald leaned his shoulder against the door jamb. “What have you been doing, holed up in here for two days?”
“Working on a little something for a friend.” Alphinaud's voice had an absent tone, as he was concentrating. He finished inscribing the final part of the diagram onto the vellum in front of him, then set the quill aside in its ink-stand. He leaned back in his chair and stretched. Then he smiled over at Arenvald. “I've created a new form of carbuncle for her. Rose quartz: it will be a healing type. Hopefully she will find it useful as well as attractive.” His ears went a little pink, but Arenvald didn't tease him about it.
“Yeah? You can just make up new ones like that?”
Alphinaud laughed. “The process is a bit more complicated than simply coming up with an idea.” The pride in his voice echoed the gleam in his eyes. “However I do have the capability. This will be my third unique design, in fact.”
“What're the other two?”
“Ah, yes, I forgot. You have not actually seen them.” The scholar rose, careful not to disturb the work on the table, and came round into the clear area of his room. “Come, let me introduce you.”
He murmured an incantation even as Arenvald stepped over to join him.
On the bed, a black form materialized with a quiet chatter. The carbuncle cocked its head at its master, fliffled its three tails, and then yawned, showing a pale pink tongue and a set of wicked fangs. Its fur was glossy, and its large claws had a mirror like sheen. It was the size of a fairly large house cat.
“This is Noir,” Alphinaud smiled. “Or rather, its non-combat manifestation.”
Noir chittered as the scholar petted its ears. Arenvald held out his fingers towards the construct, and Noir happily bunted its head against the paladin's hand.
“Noir was my very first successful experimental summon.” Alphinaud's voice was fond, and he chuckled when Noir demanded for Arenvald to pick it up and cuddle it. “I've recently developed some improvements for it, though I have not yet installed them. It will take some few days to properly insert the new code-strings and ensure they run as intended...”
“Code-strings?” Arenvald grinned. “You know I dunno any of your arcane terms.”
“One of these days, I shall have to sit you down and explain,” Alphinaud replied, teasing. “But for now...” He murmured once more, and a second carbuncle materialized. This one was much bigger – taking up half the bed, and as tall as Alphinaud's hip had she been on the floor. She was a beautiful translucent white, and her eyes threw back silvery sparkles in the lamplight. She sniffed once in Arenvald's direction, and then chattered at Noir, as if disapproving.
Noir looked at the white carbuncle over its shoulder, and replied in an unmistakable tone of “Don't care.”
Arenvald laughed, and the larger carbuncle made a delicate “harrumph” sort of sound, before pacing over to Alphinaud and imperiously demanding pets.
“Luna,” Alphinaud said to the paladin, “is my pride.”
Luna nodded, tails swishing, a very picture of smug pleasure as she leaned into Alphinaud's fingers.
“She was quite difficult to create,” Alphinaud continued, “for moonstone is harder to work with than obsidian. Though not as challenging as – amber, for instance...still. Softer stones always present greater challenges.”
“So what's the difference between these two? Other'n size. I remember you told me once before that the different colors – stones – make different abilities, right?”
“Noir specializes in physical combat,” Alphinaud answered. “It can change its size at will, so the larger enemies present little trouble, and being nearly indestructible, it can get in close to a foe. And its determination to protect is second to none.” Noir trilled at this, knowing that it was being praised.
“Luna has melee capability,” the scholar said, stroking the white fur, “but her primary function is more to supplement my own magics. She can provide a limited form of shielding, and some healing, but she also boosts the power of my spells, allowing me to spend my aether more efficiently.”
Luna chirped, and Alphinaud smiled at her. “She is also capable of a great deal of autonomy, and she will remain manifest until she is ready to dematerialize.”
“A little queen, is she?” Arenvald grinned.
“Very much so. But she is absolutely loyal. I hope that soon she will deign to use the other capability I gave to her.” Now Alphinaud's smile was wry. “She can talk, you see...She just – ”
I do not make small talk, and I had nothing important to say.
Arenvald's eyes went wide. “Oho!”
“Then what important thing do you wish to say now?” Alphinaud inquired. But the tart tone of his voice was at odds with the way his eyes shone.
Noir asked me to speak. He wants a voice to, he says. Silly little thing that he is, he will doubtless chatter enough for four of us.
Noir stuck out its tongue at her.
Alphinaud began to laugh.