The hour in Rainsister's Livingroom evaporated quickly. Soon, Jack felt the familiar sensation of spatial displacement. And then he was back. Back to his study in Lonestone City.
The 'The Treatise on Illumination through Contemplation' was gone from his spectral hand. Fortunately, most of its contents were firmly imprinted in his mind.
He hadn't devoured every word. But he had gleaned enough. The path of Wisdom Contemplation was clear in its arduousness.
Strip away biases. Understand fundamental laws. Transcend limitations. Purgation of desires. Cultivation of pure thought. Mastery of internal and external landscapes. Mental exercises. Thought experiments. Disciplined observation...
It was a long road. Jack embraced the length. More to see. More to learn. More to conquer.
Life snapped back into its established rhythm. Part of the days were for Racer Jack. A blur of motion. Swift justice. Annoying chatter.
He would zip through the grimy back alleys and upscale districts alike. A lightning fast creature punishing petty criminals, exposing corrupt officials, or simply aiding the helpless.
Lonestone City was a sprawling beast. Constantly churning out new injustices. And Jack, in his kamaitachi form, was an unstoppable force of 'acceptable, non-killing justice'. He moved with a swift efficiency. Leaving behind either gratitude or annoyance.
Nights were reserved for Jack Mystery. The invisible specter. He stalked the dreams of the truly guilty. Weaving nightmares so vivid as punishment. For the worthy, he brought visions of hope, encouragement, or forgotten paths to redemption.
Beyond his nightly and daily crusades, his focus narrowed. The next steamrune project consumed his waking analytical thoughts. He had been immensely impressed by the [Blank AI Chip] he had salvaged from Treasureland Junkyard and repurposed for his mechanical hawk.
That simple, yet profound, piece of technology had ignited a new obsession. He attempted to build his own. A fully integrated mechanical support system. A mechanical fairy.
The idea germinated. Then exploded into a meticulous design phase. He saw it in his mind's eye. Small, nimble, capable of independent thought, and laden with practical runic enhancements.
He needed an AI core that could operate within the system of steamrune mechanics. Balancing steamrune magical energy with mechanical precision. Read full story at novel(ꜰ)ire.net
He started with the core. He took a carefully selected pieces of metal And then, he began applying his unique steamrune skills. [Fusion].
He combined mithril with arcane silver. Fusing it further with mana crystal and purple jade. The resulting spherical alloy provided resilient strength, a high conduit for magical energy, and a flexible energy manipulation. It was the perfect material for his calculations.
Next, [Expansion]. He manipulated the ping-pong-ball-sized fused material. Enlarging it out until it was roughly twice the size of a bowling ball.
This wouldn't be its final form. But it made the next step exponentially easier. Engraving runes on an object of the original size, even for Jack, was a nightmare. This intermediate step was definitely needed.
Then came [Enchantment]. This was the most critical and time-consuming phase. He worked with microscopic tools. His fingers were hovering with impossible precision. Etching a labyrinthine network of runes onto the expanded sphere.
These weren't just generic power runes. These were specialized rune circuit patterns designed to simulate neural pathways. To process information. To comprehend. And to react.
He built in rudimentary ethical parameters. Defined by his own brutal justice. The core was designed to learn. But also to recognize and adhere to his definition of right and wrong.
It was a blank slate. Heavily pre-programmed with a moral compass tuned to Jack's singular frequency. He layered protection runes, energy conduits, data storage matrices, and perception enhancers.
It was his own version of an AI Chip. Covered with an intricate, glowing circuit of tiny, powerful runes.
Finally, [Compression]. He reversed the [Expansion] process. Shrinking the wafer not just back to its original size. But further. It condensed.
Stolen story; please report.
The runic patterns collapsing in on themselves. Interlocking with greater efficiency. Until it was a tiny, impossibly dense sphere. The energy it contained was immense. Emitting latent power. This was the brain of his mechanical fairy.
The body was next. He used more [Fusion] to create a lightweight, flexible, yet durable chassis. It was mainly fused from treated iridescent silk, mystic amber, and moonstone.
He sculpted tiny, intricate wings that mimicked a dragonfly's. Each vein within the wings was a minute runic conduit for flight stabilization. He embedded the compressed AI chip deep within the fairy's chest. Connecting it to an array of miniature steamrune engines and mana accumulators.
The supporting runic spells were meticulously integrated.
[Flight] for effortless aerial maneuverability. [Lesser Ward] for a basic protective shield against ambient magical attacks or small physical impacts. [Self Charging] to draw energy from the environment. Ensuring it wouldn't run out of power unexpectedly.
[Danger Detection] to sense immediate threats. Whether magical, physical, or even psychological. With enough warning to react. And finally, [Blinding Flash], a short-range, non-lethal offensive spell. For disorientation and escape.
Each spell was tuned for efficiency and minimal energy consumption.
Almost three weeks passed in a blur of intense focus. Jack barely slept. Well, he didn't need much sleep after all. Just an hour a day was enough for him.
Finally, the mechanical fairy prototype was complete. It hovered unsteadily above his workbench. A miniature marvel of clockwork and magic.
Its translucent wings buzzed with a soft, almost inaudible hum. It was just slightly bigger than his thumb. Its sapphire eyes glowed with a faint, inquisitive light.
Jack reached out his finger. And the tiny creation zipped playfully around it. A testament to its emerging artificial intelligence.
Then, the system notification appeared suddenly.
[SUITABLE VESSEL OF PERSONAL ARTIFACT DISCOVERED!]
Jack paused. His finger had just touched the fairy. He blinked. His internal processes momentarily halted. Vessel for personal artifact? That mechanical fairy?
[DETECTED COMPATIBLE PERSONAL ARTIFACT: COMPASS OF DESIRE]
[DETECTED COMPATIBLE TRAIT: TREASURE DETECTING RADAR]
[DETECTED COMPATIBLE ARTIFACT: COMPASS OF FORTUNE]
He scanned the text. Compass of Desire. Treasure Detecting Radar. Compass of Fortune. These were all things he had acquired. Or powers he possessed. All was related to finding things, luck, and guidance.
[AVAILABLE FUSION EVOLUTION FOR PERSONAL ARTIFACT]
A soft, ethereal glow emanated from the mechanical fairy. It wasn't the glow of runes or steamrune power. But something deeper. More intrinsic.
The light intensified. Surrounding the tiny construct in a cocoon of shimmering energy. The humming stopped. The fairy hung motionless. Suspended in the radiant sphere.
Jack watched. Intrigued and wary. He had no control over this. The system was acting autonomously. He mentally prepared for anything. From a catastrophic meltdown to some new abomination.
The glow pulsed. Contracting and expanding like a tiny, beatific heart. The air in the workshop thickened. Vibrating in response to the transformation. It wasn't violent. But it could be physically felt.
The process felt like an eternity. Though in reality, it was only a few minutes.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the light receded. Gathering back into the fairy itself. It hovered once more. But it looked subtly different.
Its metallic sheen was softer. More like polished gemstone. The light in its eyes was brighter. More intelligent. It looked less like a machine. And more... alive.
[FUSION EVOLUTION COMPLETED]
[ACQUIRED PERSONAL ARTIFACT: FAIRY COMPANION]
Jack quickly used his [Eyes of Judgement] to open his Status Panel. He navigated to his personal artifacts section. There it was. [Fairy Companion]. He read the description.
[Fairy Companion. A sentient, fairy construct. A unique personal artifact born from a fusion of mystical properties and advanced steamrune technology. It serves as a devoted companion and multi-faceted guide. Though non-verbal, it communicates through glows, gestures, and mental impressions, and possesses advanced flight. Its navigational abilities include leading to desired objects, detecting treasure (gold glow), warning of danger (red glow), and indicating fortunate encounters (green glow). For defense, it projects a robust protective ward, and for offense, it can fire a self-charging laser shot, all while being capable of entering a stealth mode for covert operations.]
Jack lowered his status panel. His gaze fixed on the fairy. His mind processed the information. It was exactly what he'd been trying to build. But amplified. Integrated with his existing artifact powers.
It was a navigator, a scout, a protector, and a discreet attacker. And it was sentient. Though unable to speak.
"Well, well, well..." Jack muttered. His voice a low rumble even in his human form. "You certainly outdid yourself, little one."
The fairy zipped around his head. Then settled on his shoulder. Its sapphire eyes observing him with an uncanny intelligence.
It gave a soft, golden glow. Then a green one. Then red. It was testing its new detection capabilities. Or perhaps just showing them off.
A golden glow flared brighter when Jack thought of his hidden stash of rare steamrune components. A green one when he thought of Reina. A red one when he recalled the Saint of Joy.
The detection system was clearly linked to his own thoughts. His own desires and concerns. It was remarkably intuitive.
"Alright, little one." Jack said. A faint, almost imperceptible smirk was on his lips. "You need a name. What should you be called?"
He considered it. Something descriptive. But not too obvious. Something that reflected its combined nature. And easy to say. "How about... Rune?"
The fairy pulsed with a soft green light. Flitting excitedly from his shoulder to hover directly in front of his face. Its head tilted as if listening intently. It was an affirmation.
"Rune it is." Jack confirmed. "Welcome to the team, Rune."