"If we do that won't it cause the crystal to break?" Walker thought that the crystal would be under too much pressure having its internal structure changed to store the mana and eventually have the entire shape changed to fit the pure light blade and the pure dark spear skills.
"You're thinking of it in the wrong way. You have shaped earth before, so that means you know it has the strength to change with enough mana. So it is the same with the crystals. It can change shape and allow the two manas to intertwine and work with each other. If you need a light blade then it can channel the light in to the shape you want the skill to take. If you want a dark spear it can do that as well." Walker was still confused.
"The crystal will become a catalyst. It will still have its earth elemental mana, but it will fuse with both light and darkness elements. Once that happens it will be the bond between them. You can use the skills in most shapes and forms but will be stuck with a solid item containing mana instead of gathering it. There are ups and downs."
The explanation was starting to look clearer to Walker. If he wanted to use the skills even faster than he could not, he would add mana to the crystal ball. This mana would be one with the earth element in the crystal. From there he could change the shape of the crystal using his high earth sculpting while maintaining the balance in the darkness and light element.
Furthermore, he would be able to add the strength of the earth element to the skills. It would be a welcome bonus when he wanted to cause more physical damage in the skills. The fusion of the skills would be sparked by the item. Walker knew all too well it would be one of his first item required skills.
Item required skills were very different from skills used with certain gear or tools. Those skills could be used on any of the tools of various sizes or any weapon with the same make, even when customized. But an item specific skill could only be used on a very specialized item, often crafted by the user of the skill that paired with it. Many of these skills were high or mastery tier, rarely would an individual have them.
"Watch what I do with the earth elemental mana, it will push back a lot but when the crystal condenses it will make many small pathways. They are like roots that let the crystal become one with the other mana added." Walker watched as the mana flowed from the crystal mage and in to the crystal ball he had already smoother with his earth shaping skills.
The ball appeared to be cracking but this was not what was not what was actually happening. The crystal was being forcefully condensed from the inside out. The cracks were actually little passages made hollow by the shaping. Soon a small marble sized bubble was easily seen within the crystal ball. "Ligh and dark elemental mana please." The crystal mage asked for the assistance of the dark and light mages.
The two mages touched the crystal ball and slowly caused the darkness and light elemental manas to condense and flow in to the crystal ball. "Stay equal while I hold this. If one of you adds too much it will shatter." This was nerve wracking for everyone watching. One misstep and they could all be facing a failed experiment and some major injuries.
The mana that flowed in to the crystal ball slowly decreased. The light and dark mage did not take their eyes off of the other. They were going to stop the flow of mana at the exact same time and leave the remaining finishing touches to the crystal mage.
In the same instant, the two mages removed their hands from the crystal ball and the swirl of condensed light and dark mana was left. The small passage ways within the crystal ball were full. The center had rotating light and darkness elemental mana. All that was left was the finishing from the crystal mage.
He sat there intensely focused on sealing the mana completely within the crystal ball. Walker watched as the crystal itself started to reflect the light and dark colors of the mana until it became a clear grey. The tan tint was very subtle, but when it gained this color the crystal mage released a long held breath.
"That is that. The mana is fused in to the item and it is ready to be used. I can change the shape and with the help and training with another light mage or another dark mage, we can manifest the dark spear or light blade in the item. Sadly we would need to be in contact with it so it is not practical. It is more or less useless because of that." Walker frowned knowing that this would be much harder than the previous steps. But he was going to give it his best effort.
The light and dark mages used their own mana potions and stood at the ready next to Walker. They were prepared to see this through to the end, their curiosity was still strong but they had gained a commitment to the fusion skill that would be created.
Walker calmed his breathing and started to focus on the changes within the crystal ball he had seen in the crystal mages'. His goal was to replicate it and produce the same result, however, he was met with very strong resistance. His mana was almost pushed away immediately as he used the high earth sculpting. His face broadcasted his desire to push harder and make the change happen. He would not give up at such a small challenge.