From the sword, he felt stronger and tougher than ever before. Perhaps part of it was the dagger as well, but the sword had definitely contributed a lot to these feelings. Added to this, he could feel things around him, the grass, the vines on the shops, and something else, but he couldn't figure out what as there was too much of it, but all of it was outside through the back of the forge in a direction he'd never been from here.
As he continued to concentrate, he could feel his body shrugging off the weariness and injuries from hitting the floor earlier. He could also feel the air patterns more clearly than he previously could despite having absorbed so many foci previously. Perhaps this was what the sword was. It discovered what focuses he had and enhanced them along with his strength and endurance.
Pondering this, he wished his system was usable already, but looking at the timer counting down in his mind, he could see there was still seventeen hours, forty-one minutes, and nine second remaining while it upgraded. With a sigh, he shook his head knowing he would just have to wait to know more.
With his aura now intact, he could feel the essences of those around him only to discover much of them had been absorbed into the sword. Again, he needed his system in order to know why, but at least everyone was alive and would fully recover after a few days. It seems like the sword only reduced them to a portion of the strengths, but not enough to kill any of them, as if it knew exactly how much it could safely draw.
Thinking back, perhaps it did. It had contained a portion of his own aura and spirit until he made contact and it returned to where it should be. Maybe he could search his mind and discover exactly what had happened when he combined the naming and imbuing.
As Von delved deeper into his memories, he searched for clues about the events that had transpired when he attempted to imbue and name Marshfang simultaneously. Focusing his mind, he retraced his steps, recalling the moment when he first made contact with the sword and channeled his aura into it.
But as Von delved further into his memories, he sensed exactly what the subtle shift in the sword's energy—a flicker of resistance at his pushing it to its limit. It was resisting Von's overwhelming aura. The beast core inside was reacting to his intent to destroy it instead of imbuing it with power and pulled at the power to use it against him. Thus, it began drawing upon his aura in an attempt to absorb the excess energy.
With this realization, Von understood Marshfang was indeed a highly magical artifact, capable of absorbing and channeling vast amounts of energy. However, the entire blame lay in his attempt to imbue it and name it simultaneously nearly destroying the core and inadvertently overloadin the sword, causing it to draw upon his own aura to stabilize itself.
Marshfang was not inherently sentient, but rather a powerful conduit for magical energy. His mistake had been in pushing too much of his own aura into the sword, triggering a strange feedback loop that resulted in the chaotic energy surges they had witnessed. I was his own aura trying to get back what he lost, namely the rest of his aura and his body, which created the pulses of green energy.
With this in mind, and knowing the sword was complete, and knowing the pulses wouldn't happen again, he pulled the essences of healing magic into his aura and found the scattered bits of everyone's aura in his line of sight. He channelled these bits back to their respective owners returning their borrowed strength and essence as best he could.
Once complete, Von went to the now waking Oren and the other two master smiths to explain what happened. His use of so much force, he was the cause of the problem, but since he was whole again, the threat was gone, both his aura and the sword were now intact.
Von spent several moments reassuring Oren and the others Marshfang was now safe and no longer posed a risk to anyone. With his aura whole again and the sword no longer drawing upon it, the danger had passed.
Oren and the master smiths listened intently, their expressions shifting from concern to understanding as Von explained the situation. They nodded in acknowledgment, grateful for his honesty and clarity. Though Von had made a mistake, he had also taken responsibility for it and taken steps to rectify the situation, demonstrating maturity and growth beyond his years.
With the matter resolved and Marshfang no longer a threat, the group turned their attention to tending to the wounded and assessing the damage caused by the incident. Von knew that there were lessons to be learned from this experience, and he was determined to emerge from it wiser and more cautious in the future. First, he felt the need to give provide some sort of restitution for his mistake.
As Oren spoke, his voice carried a weight of responsibility and remorse. He stood tall, yet his demeanor was tinged with humility as he took full ownership of the situation. With a deep sigh, he began to address the gathered group, his words measured and deliberate.
"Von," Oren began, his tone grave yet resolute, "it is with a heavy heart that I must admit my failure as a master smith in this matter. As the one responsible for overseeing Von's training, it falls upon me to ensure his safety and guide him on the path to mastery. Yet, in my moment of distraction and complacency, I failed in this duty."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Vorolen, Grimdon, and Von, each nodding in understanding and agreement with his words.
"I allowed my attention to wander, enchanted by the brilliance of Von's imbuing of the dagger," Oren continued, his voice tinged with regret. "In that moment, I neglected to consider the possibility that he might approach the sword differently. It was a lapse in judgment, one that I deeply regret."
Vorolen and Grimdon, both seasoned smiths with years of experience, offered silent nods of affirmation, acknowledging Oren's admission with understanding and empathy. Each of them had done the same more than once in the past.
"Von's lack of judgment in this instance is not his own fault," Oren declared firmly, his gaze meeting Von's with a mixture of apology and determination. "It is mine. As his mentor and master, I should have provided clearer guidance and oversight. I should have been more vigilant, more attentive."
He paused, his words hanging in the air, heavy with the weight of his culpability. Yet, despite his admission of fault, there was a resolve in Oren's voice, a determination to learn from his mistake and ensure that such an oversight would not occur again.
"I take full responsibility for what transpired," Oren concluded, his voice steady with resolve. "And I vow to do everything in my power to make amends and ensure Von receives the guidance and support he needs to continue his journey as a smith."
Turning to Von, he again said, "In this instance, the fault was entirely mine. I could have warned you; I could have followed your thoughts to see what you were going to do. If you had been a teenager, or adult, I would have. The fact you are younger still creates even more blame for me, as in the face of your wisdom in other matters, I forgot you lack experience in so many things. I hope you will forgive me my lapse in your case. You are my equal in magics, likely my superior from what I've seen. I was remiss in treating you like a seasoned equal here, but in the end, forgetting you are new to smithing was my fault.
With those words, Oren's gaze softened, his expression one of earnest sincerity as he extended a hand of reassurance towards Von, offering his support. Von accepted this hand feeling even more guilty for putting Master Oren into this position to begin with.
Before he could state this, Grimdon spoke with a twinkle in his eye. "Well boy, with that settled, and since you say the sword is harmless, did ya at least find out what it can do?"
The three smiths as well as the healers examining them and the others looked at Von. Von lowered his head blushing as he looked to the floor. "I didn't try to see yet. I was worried about making sure it wouldn't pulse again."
A knowing grin passed Grimdon's face since the boy always seemed to put his responsibilities first. "Well, then, let's see what she does." He took practically jumped the several steps to the sword on the workbench and lifted it by the grip. Pushing his aura into it, Grimdon felt as though it were pushing back. Resisting his effort. "Stubborn little thing aren't ya." He said aloud.
He redoubled his efforts, until those around him could see the strain on his face as he concentrated on piercing the veil of mystery surrounding the sword's capabilities. After five full minutes of trying, he shouted, "I will NOT be bested by a piece of METAL with an attitude!" Still, he spent another few minutes before he put the weapon back on the workbench and looked around sheepishly. "The thing wouldn't let me see anything. Stubborn dragon. You'd've thought it was me what killed her."
The room filled with laughter. Grimdon scowled before looking at Oren. "Let's see you do better."