sword making part 5

It was time to get back to work. Moving to Gehenna would not slow her work down, neither would her age. Iosefka takes the Nyeshk in hand, propping open her tome next to her makeshift workshop, and begins to throw it into the furnace as she reads out her own instructions.

Age had reached a point where she often forgot the very things she had set out to do, and today was unfortunately, no different. So, she worked.

Nyeshk, a familiar metal, bubbled and burned and turned nearly-white as it turned to molten slag, energy coursing through her hands as she pokes and prods the substance with her tongs. Her gaze searches for impurities that rise up, scooping them out every now and then until the metal was practically one color. Only then would it be suited for forging.

"And then... We have to make sure... Account for- Yes, yes..."

The metal was set to the side, allowed to bubble and froth as she turned to the unique design ofthe weapon, and set out to carve a clay mold. Ingenuity was always difficult.
(Iosefka Coza)

The mold was four inches thick at its center, tapering down to two to account for the arcanium that would make up the blade later on. She cut out semi-circles, as well, to account for the handles the wielder would need. It sort of looked like a large... piece of an orange. If an orange was made of sheer black metal and heavier than a small wagon.

As the clay hardened, Iosefka traced in the engravings that would make up the surface, indicating where each piece would be affixed later on in the creation process. Measurements are taken to ensure that there is an even distance between each eye, properly placed on each side... And then, finally, begins to pour the molten Nyeshk into the mold.

It splashes and hisses, hot metal threatening to burn even the clay and melt it as it begins to settle in her makeshift mold, and Iosefka shields her face with her hand until at long last the Nyeshk settles. The Artificer lets it sit a little longer, before taking a trace of the undersideof the mold and begins to apply it to the top side. Consistency was key between both sides -- Didn't want to make one side too heavy, after all.

With that out of the way, Iosefka sighs with relief and lets it cool down the rest of the way.
(Iosefka Coza)

She writes down in her notes, in the meantime, the specifications of the metal. Nearly an inch of arcanium was going to be added to the entire perimeter of the blade. That meant she needed to sand it down and account for its addition later. Fusing metal was easy, but making sure it was evenly fused and did not threaten to run and fuck up the balance was just as important.

On top of that, she had to mark down where each eye would go. Thankfully that was easy to do with the eyes already completed. Iosefka draws on her schematic, and then numbers them one after another to make sure that she'd remember where they went. But. That wouldn't have to happen until later... Thankfully.

She also needed to account for the handle she'd be using from the evil blade. THAT, she conceded, would be a trial for another day. It was about time for the finishing touches of the weapon, now that it had cooled down.

She begins to crack open the mold with her blacksmithinghammer, revealing the lump of Nyeshk beneath.
(Iosefka Coza)

It was... Ugly. Obviously. It would take some time to work this particular weapon into a finished product. But once she finished that - later on, of course - she was sure it would look...

Well, intimidating, probably.

Those thoughts could come later. The hunk of Nyeshk that made up the body of the blade was taken from the mold, measured against the jagged carvings that decorated each side. That was good. But it wasn't good enough. The Artificer propped it up against her leg, taking a diamond-studded whetstone in hand to add the sharp, intimidating finish.

She ground the edges of the arcing hunk of metal, fitting it evenly so as to make sure it didn't screw up the arcanium she would eventually add. On top of that, she took a finer brush made of metal and began to polish all the jagged, excess metal that covered the body. It was, finally, much smoother to the touch. How delightful. One last piece of work had to be done, however.
(Iosefka Coza)

She took her finger and began to channel an indescribable amount of energy through it, protecting and heating it until it began to shoot off a fine, sparking jet of blue flame. Then, positioning it on the inside of the semi-circles she carved into the blade, she'd slowly start to push it into the thick nyeshk, burning a hole on the inside curve.

This, she'd do enough times until there was a sizeable slot for the handles she'd put into the hunk of metal, and now it was obvious this would have to be for the hilts of the sword. With this exercise finally over, Iosefka relaxes, letting the blade cool down, before placing it on a hook on the wall for display. She'd finish that piece up later. Exhaustion was beginning to set in.

It was ready for augmentation.
(Iosefka Coza)