Final Answer Mk. II

[16:07] Bruno reaches for his weapon with a certain calm about it, pulling it off his back and placing it atop the workshop's table. Stable. His attention then shifts towards the masked Amnesia.

"Were you aware that the tribes from which Moxtli descend used to practice their own kind of witchcraft?" He asked, rummaging around a bit before an old book is found. One detailling sacrifices, rituals, and a lot of culture from the Atl tribe. It's placed down right by the man's gun.

"Some of their methods were more extreme, although this one should be... interesting enough."

A lack of proper explanation is present.
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:08] "I was not aware, no."

It's a brief reply, as Amnesia looks over the book. They don't touch it, no, but their amber mask does shift as they scan over the words contained within.

"Please continue."
(Masked Soldier)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:13] Anna stands off to one side of the pair as they converse over the desk before them. She doesn't make any move to comment or inject herself into the meeting between them. Merely observing.
(Anna)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:20] Bruno's right hand reaches out, flipping the pages until they reached a certain point. A chapter on a spirit-drawing ritual. Something that may be useful for the purposes of what came next. From his person the Aertas retrieved a small dream catcher. Though it is far from the average dream catcher. Whispers of the deceased, of spirits long trapped can be heard from within.

He places it right by the book, near Final Answer.

"After having been used by an Ascended Demon for such a length of time its... presence remains upon my weapon. Whether he intended for it or not, Kalethos still lives on. He prevents the best use of my family's legacy.

Our goal today is to draw him out of the weapon and to entrap him within this spirit-catcher."
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:23] Masked Soldier asks, "Presence. Mana, essence...?"
[16:23] Masked Soldier says, "My talents revolve around the latter."
[16:24] Bruno pyr Aertas says, "Then they should be suited for whatever remains of that Demon."
[16:24] Bruno pyr Aertas says, "Look through the book if you require to."
[16:24] Masked Soldier says, "And the demon's essence remains in the weapon."
[16:24] Bruno pyr Aertas says, ".. Unless you believe yourself capable of drawing it out and entrap it without such."
[16:25] Bruno pyr Aertas says, "It does."
[16:32] Amnesia begins to flip through the book, scanning it over. They don't shift in any clearly visible way, however - a signal that they're likely already familiar with the gist of it.

The refresher is still good, however. Just to make sure they know what they're doing.

Their left hand is set against the weapon, right hand to the spirit-catcher. One deep breath, filtered heavy through the gasmask...

The air in the room shifts, in some barely perceptible way. Hel is called upon - a reminder to the remains of the demon's soul of precisely what they were made for in the first place.

And who, exactly, is beckoning them to move on.

Not merely a typical witch, but one bound with the lingering soul of another - the Great Beast.

Kalethos's remaining essence follows through Amnesia's body - from one hand to the other, with the spirit catcher as its ultimate destination.
(Masked Soldier)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:35] While a practionner of the occult, Bruno hardly had any experience with rituals as such. He likely could have managed to pull his weight and eventually catch the remains of Kalethos within his family's legacy on his own, but with the right tools for the job there was no reason to be inefficient.

Blue eyes observed the process, monitored it and ensured that no damage would be brought upon either end of the transfer. The path through mattered a bit less.

Silent. Yet the red sparks dancing at his fingertips left him ready to act at a moment's notice.
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:44] It takes a little bit of time. Another experienced witch likely would've been able to tell what, precisely, Amnesia was doing. Communicating with the lingering essence of the demon.

Making sure that it's well aware what they are, and what could possibly be done if it did not oblige. All telepathically, of course.

There's an almost palpable shift in the air as Kalethos, finally, accepts. Maybe the witch found the proper threat on its immortal being in Hel, or something to that end.

Amnesia draws back, both hands going lax at their sides.

"Complete."

Final Answer is left... unpossessed, and the spirit catcher has caught its first spirit in a long, long time. And Amnesia got to show off a fairly impressive display of witchcraft.
(Masked Soldier)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:50] A process without issue or any big fuss. A proper procedure if any. The young Aertas witnessed it all happen, though he could only feel the shifts in possession more than the magic at hand. There was no reason to distrust Amnesia on the matter; the presence was definitely gone from the weapon and its use was restored to full capacity.

"Good." He answers, reaching out to retrieve the spirit-catcher at once. A short scan over its surface revealed not much, though it certainly felt... heavier. In presence.

"Your experience and help would be most beneficial during my next expedition. The search for a certain oasis of vitality— rumored to be linked to Aschea. Signs point to an old city that... collapsed upon itself, in some way, a few decades ago."

With the ritual complete Bruno could finally begin working on the weapon itself.

Hands came down upon Final Answer's surface, and a small click can be heard as the metallic bear head is detached from its tip.
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[16:53] "...Continue."

It's a request - command - from Bruno, of all people. It wasn't like Amnesia would turn it down. Or, frankly, would be capable of turning it down.
(Masked Soldier)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:05] While Bruno took a careful time dismantling his own weapon piece by piece for a much-needed tune-up his words kept on going.

"It is likely to be filled with spirits, in some fashion. Trustworthy comrades is what I require most in this endeavor. I have but a single goal: To reach the oasis. The rest of the treasures that are found can be kept by those who aid me in my ascension."

A simple, slightly foreboding explanation of the matter at hand. This is soon followed by a high-pitched clink as the soulsteel core of the weapon is finally revealed. Tainted with occult magic, yet, years had taken a toll upon it.

Bruno reached into his pocket, pulling out a small fragment of the forgotten son: Achlys. A hungering crystal that proved itself to be both the source of an empty, dark energy while demanding more and more from those around it. Terrifying, in a way.

Bruno's fingertip traces its way over the soulsteel that had been pushed to its greatest capability. Runes left upon it were erased. Rebuilt. Put in line with a design more suitable for today's crafts. Glyphs that allowed for a greater transfer of mana were placed, allowing for the core to properly unleash its full capabilities in a time of need.

.. Of course it isn't all.

The fragment of the forgotten son is brought closer to the soulsteel before a light-flickering manifestation of the occult occurs, energies poured into the crystal is subsequently made to reinforce and slightly shift the taint currently present on the soulsteel.

To, in a way, link both the core and the gem. For them both to carry this feeling of deep emptiness. Of eternal darkness.

The tuned-up core is soon covered by an arcanium plate once more before the ammo drum underneath is pulled off. And opened. A groove finds itself slowly, gently carved into it while Bruno asks Amnesia a question.

"Are you willing to come?"
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:10] "Of course."

It's barely more than a murmur. Amnesia's attention is on the weapon, as Bruno updates the runes, cleans its interior metals, and performs other bits of maintenance and reinforcement.

Very impressive work.
(Masked Soldier)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:18] "Good."

His simple answer is followed by a much more important process: One in which a fragment of Achlys is placed and melded within the ammo drum of the machine-gun. Where mana would find itself tainted after being affected by the soulsteel core previously, the new process will taint the ammo right away with a feeling of dread, death, and occult magic.

A rune is established for the fragment's influence to spread as it is properly embedded into the ammo drum. A glyph superposes it, synchronizing both the crystal and the core to work in harmony despite spreading naught but chaos.

".. this should do." He murmurs to himself, re-assembling the drum before attaching it back to the weapon itself.

Now came the last, yet most important part.

The metal head is carefully manipulated and Bruno's synthetic hand is plunged into it, slowly, gently. The weapon's focus within is picked up and taken away, pulled from its regularhome. It was nothing too irregular, but it could hardly make up for Bruno's own vision of this family relic.

"When the comes, Anna, I'd like for you to lend me your cold."
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:20] Masked Soldier asks, "Anything else, Bruno?"
[17:20] Masked Soldier asks, "Or am I dismissed...?"
[17:21] Bruno pyr Aertas says, "You may go if you desire."
[17:21] Masked Soldier says, "Understood."
[17:21] Masked Soldier says, "Send for me, when the time has come."
[17:21] Masked Soldier says, "I will arrive."
[17:22] Anna viewed the masked soldier curiously as they departed, They were one who worked for the Commander, and she had seen them around before.. Yet that was a long time ago now.

Which Commander is it they worked for now, exactly?

Curious.

A thoughtful hum comes from her as she stares at the doorway then she nods towards Bruno. "Whatever you need, Mister Aertas." She says, absent mindedly.
(Anna)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:34] The final part of this project was one with more than one material involved into it, yet, it was one of the more simple things to do when it came to engineering. It was the very essence of magitech: Technology and magic working together to accomplish something greater.

A piece of Arcanium was pulled from his pocket, heated up rapidly through the use of an incredibly high current before its color shifted to a brighter red, nearly white. Hot. Electromagnetic fields were manipulated to lift, twist, and shift the metal at Bruno's will.

While what seemed to be a very long tube was being made the young man reached for a peculiar gem. One that produced both a chilling cold and an electrifying tension. A proper focus for a weapon that would be used to its maximum capacity.

It would be a waste to only focus upon the electrical properties of it, after all.

The Arcanium tube was soon made to wrap around the focus nearly entirely, leaving enough room only for thepoles of the gem to be free, for they would need to be in contact with the inner mechanism of that mythril bear head once placed.

A careful, gentle molding of the Arcanium allowed for a small latch to be created: An opening to reach inside the very tubes. What was Bruno doing, one may ask?

A cooling system. For the weapon's new focus could draw from both lightning and ice, the latter would be wasted if not directed properly. Runes drawing both wind and water magic towards the tubes were drawn, allowing the focus to literally cool itself.

Of course, a liquid would be needed to properly transport that cold, and a level of coolness was needed.

The small focus wrapped in arcanium was brought to Anna.

"Please ensure this is as cool as possible. A constant flow of liquid will keep it from freezing over, yet I believe a headstart with your help will ensure the focus does not need some... time to be used at full capacity."
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:49] Anna's attention remained upon the doorway, pensive, thoughtful. That masked one seemed familiar, recently familiar. She just couldn't quite place where it was exactly she had seen them before.

It had begun to bother her, truthfully. Something Anna had always prided herself on was her memory, her ability to recollect even the smallest of details. Now however, she was drawing a blank on them. Aggravating, truly. Especially so when it feels like they should be familiar.

However, soon, her attention shifted back towards Bruno, stepping forwards to join him at the table, she begins to try to make sense of what it was she was seeing, having only just started paying attention to what it was he was working on.

She recognized the weapon, of course. She had helped him get it. She had burned for it.

"So just direct near freezing water into the tubes, have it circulate, then slowly drop the temperature below freezing while the current is continuous tokeep it from icing?" She asks him for clarity, waiting for his confirmation of the accuracy of her understanding before she would set on the task of doing so.

Better to check twice, than to make a mistake.

A crystal clear water forms in the air around her, summoned by her manipulation of mana, she sent a small stream of it into the arcanium tube. Once it was filled, she softly exhaled, her breath misting from the near freezing air around her. That white exhalation drifted downwards towards the tube, where a paper thin, yet quite obvious, layer of frost began to form as the water current began to grow colder. Much colder.

Anna stared down at the tube in hand, holding it in both hands with care as she circulated the glacial water through it in a never-ending cycle.

"How long do you need this to go for?"
(Anna)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:57] A small gesture is made towards the girl when she readies the crystallized waters, and a shake of his head follows. Rather than using normal waters the dark, horrifying extract of tainted waters they obtained in the jungle ruins had been put into a vial and placed in Anna's hands to manipulate. Bruno remained close, ready to shut down any attempt by the occult magic to harm the woman as she began working on the system herself.

While she put herself hard at work a few more runes were drawn and the small latch was shut close. His hands remained far from the freezing Sapphire and its cooling system. The next runes drawn would draw the lightning-aspected talents of the prismatic gem towards its uncovered poles, for they would be where each shot was channeled once placed in the weapon once again.

"Just until it's in position." He answers to his beloved assistant.

The mythril bear head was retrieved alongside one heatproof glove. Fastened tight around his synthetic hand before he reached out, awaiting for Anna to pass over this wonder of magitech back to him.

He was neither going to risk his real hand, nor hers in the process of reaching deep into the beast's maw.
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:10] The cold never bothered her anyway.

The tainted occult materials that she had been given were of course used instead, the same circulating motion applied to it as she would her own summoned waters. The same freezing temperatures applied to the dark, shadowy extract as she would have her own waters.

Perhaps this would be able to be made even colder than that of regular water anyway.

She wasn't quite sure just how cold she could make it before it started to freeze, so naturally she would test it first outside of the tube. Slowly lowering it's temperature until it started to solidify before withdrawing her glacial temperature from the odd shadow-liquid.

It was only that she had confirmed it's freezing point for herself did she guide the water into the tubing to begin her task for Bruno. And Anna would continue to circulate the wintry darkness within, waiting for Bruno to be ready to accept the magitech part from her.

As she passed it over, she made sure to continue holding the chill on the tainted darkness, exhaling a frigid breath over it to maintain it's icy-cold temperature one last time before she gave it up to him to finish with.
(Anna)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:16] A gloved hand picked up the little wonder they had created and built together before he brought it down into the metallic head. The focus was adjusted properly, poles lined up in order to enhance every passing shot while the taint of the occultic waters couldn't help but draw more vile energies upon each afformentioned shots. Rather than overheating the weapon itself may just feel... cold.

Cold lightning from Hel. Like death.

When all was adjusted and fastened the young man gave a small nod to his beloved, moving over to the rest of the machine-gun and assembling it back up properly. A great tune-up, a lack of Demonic spirit possessing it, and a definitive success.

He turned around, bringing the weapon up and pointing it towards the wall far from them both. A single shot is sent out and-

Red and black lightning rush out, crashing agains the aforementionned testing wall and leaving a bit of dust to clean up in the future behind. The apprentices would do just that.

Final Answer is placed behind his back once more. His heatproof glove is removed, and his right hand is held out towards the cold lady.

"Thank you for your help. I'll let you decide what we work on next."
(Bruno pyr Aertas)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------