It turns out that losing a hand wasn't exactly fun. At least Rory didn't think so as he meandered back the remainder of the way through the forest. In his early days, losing a hand would have been a paralyzing injury. Still, Rory had suffered considerably worse since then.

The one caveat was that he'd also had the magic pill of ascension right on the ready in times prior when he'd suffered grievous injuries.

Now? There wasn't much to do besides popping in an ossified gem, which only stopped the bleeding.

So, Rory chose to ignore it as he finally returned to Ehkkorrus. Grimacing, he made his way to the forge, barging in without announcement as he found a nearby chair and sat down, to the wide-eyed surprise of a few apprentices within the forge.

"Founder Rory?" Gil jogged toward him in his normal form. "What happened?"

"You remember how I said I had to scout out a new pair of boots?"

"Yeah?"

"A bit bitey," Rory waved his nub for Gil to see.

"Should… should we do something? Should I find Apostolos?"

"Nah, it was my screw-up anyway. I made the mistake of cornering myself within my own shield dome against an attack that had more lasting power than mine, forcing me into a rough spot. Turns out this was the cost," Rory waved the nub again, beginning to have fun with Gil's wincing expression every time he did.

"Is this going to interrupt your plans?"

"A little," Rory admitted. "But I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"If… if you say so?" Gil seemed uncertain what to say, trying not to look at Rory's rather ugly nub hand. "Is there anything I can do in the meantime?"

"Hm…. Actually, could you fetch Viviann? I want to bounce some ideas off the two of you. Maybe Mariah as well."

"A full gathering, wow." Gil whistled.

"Nah, not Kal. The old guy is busy enough as is." Rory snorted. "It's not some crazy project either, just a quick assessment on how to fix this." Rory waved his nub again, barely suppressing the smile at Gil's obvious discomfort.

"Right, well, I'll just get to doing that," Gil answered, backing away and fleeing from the grisly sight of Rory's mangled nub.

And just when I was beginning to have fun with it.

It wasn't much longer before Viviann and Mariah were gathered. Four chairs were arranged in a semicircle, and all four took their seats.

"Really, what did you do?" Viviann asked, nose upturned as she grimaced at Rory's nub.

"Screwed up," Rory answered offhandedly.

"We can see that," Mariah said as she leaned closer. "Can I poke it?"

"Why would you want to do that?" Viviann turned to Mariah, horrified.

"Research," Mariah answered instantly. "No other tier sevens around, so understanding how they respond to stimuli could be useful for reasons."

"What reasons?" Gil questioned.

"Reasons." Mariah shot back defensively.

"Are you sure you aren't just a bit of a freak?" Gil countered.

"I am what I am," Mariah said.

"Yes, that's good and all." Viviann finally decided to cut in and end the childish bickering. "But you called us all here… why?"

"Because we're going to solve this," Rory held his nub up, getting one last moment of amusement from their reactions before lowering his not-hand. "And I have an idea as to how."

"A prosthetic?" Viviann asked as the only one who had been reminded of Earth amongst the group.

"Sort of," Rory said with a nod.

"What's a prosthetic?" Gil questioned.

"A replacement limb. Except we're going to go above and beyond. My idea is to make a prosthetic that will become a part of my body."

"That's not really possible," Mariah interjected. "You're just as much of an alchemist as I am, so you should know as well as I do that we can't transmute non-organics into a new body part. Turn them into something new entirely? Sure, but not what you're suggesting."

"Likewise," Gil said. "I can't think of any materials that would behave similarly to human flesh."

Viviann was silent, eliciting a grin from Rory.

"Seems like someone knows my thought process,"

"It's… a bit out there, but I don't see why it wouldn't work." Viviann finally said.

"What wouldn't work?" Mariah asked.

"A Living Rune," Viviann answered. "He intends to use a Living Rune as the 'catalyst' for his plan."

"Uh, what's a Living Rune?" Gil likewise asked.

"Runes come in several different categories. Ignoring the lecture, the highest form of Runes, as of now, is an evolved rune, of which only one has been created."

"This 'Living Rune' you spoke of, I'm guessing?"

"Correct," Rory said with a snap of his fingers -or he would have had he still had a hand. "I've only used a Living Rune once, grafting it upon Eia's very essence."

"You can add runes to a living thing?" Gil questioned, sounding surprised.

"Not really, or not usually," Viviann answered. "The Living Rune is different. From my limited understanding, it can evolve and grow alongside a living being, but it doesn't do much else. You used it in conjunction with an entire runic array when you inscribed it upon Eia, right?"

"Bingo," Rory confirmed. "It's a little more complex than that, but you get the basic idea. I think it won't be long until you master that rune," Rory said with approval.

"I think I'll take a bit more time before I bother trying," Viviann said. "So, the Living Rune, in this case, will connect the organic to the inorganic. What exactly do you want us to do?"

"Well, you all spend more time on a specific craft than I do," Rory said. "Gil, I need you to develop a design for the 'skeleton' of this new hand and ensure you use materials you believe will best fit the situation now that you get the overall intent."

"Aye, Aye, boss." Gil saluted.

"Mariah, I need you to develop a blood substitute."

"Can't you just use your own blood?"

"No," Rory said, shaking his head. "I'm thinking it has to be alchemic in nature. This isn't just regular old biology; we need something that can equalize and resonate with the rest of the construct. For that, you will be in direct contact with Gil so you can take note of whatever materials he is using and potentially help make any alchemically sourced materials."

"Are we getting credits for this?" Mariah suddenly asked.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Uhh... Sure? You guys really do love those credits." Rory said with a shrug, having a position within the city that put him above the need for any of the credits. "Tell Irene I gave the A-Okay."

"Aye, Aye, boss," Mariah saluted, mocking Gil, who gave her a nasty side-eye.

"Finally, Viviann, you're going to work with me on brainstorming the sort of Inscription we'll need. Having two different perspectives and understandings of each rune means we can juice more potential from them, condensing the script, thereby allowing for more script in the physical space."

Looking at the two saluting teenagers, she finally shot off her own lazy salute.

"Aye, aye, boss," She drawled, winking at him.

"How long do we have?" Gil asked as he lowered his hand.

"Let's reconvene in… maybe a week? This isn't meant to be some Mastercraft."

"You'd spend so little time on something that's meant to be a part of your body?"

"I figure it needs to last only through tier seven. Tier eight, my hand will heal, or the prosthetic will truly become a part of me. Any other questions?"

"Can we ransack the warehouse?" Mariah suddenly asked, an excited glimmer in her eyes.

Oh, Irene is going to curse me.

"Sure, why not?"

The following week was… shockingly mundane, Rory noted. He'd spent most of his time locked up with Viviann, where they mainly worked on laying out the detailed script that'd be used for the prosthetic.

Emphasis on mainly working.

In the end, they had a rather extensive and dense script, each rune formatted to have the considerations and understandings of two people. Able to condense more meaning into each rune, they were able to fully cram hundreds of runes worth into the estimated space they had to work with, looking to hit upon every single little aspect that related to how a real hand worked, down to even the specific ways a hand might involuntarily twitch when poked or prodded particular ways.

With the array of runes completed, their model had only one available space, a small area directly in the center of the palm.

"You might want to look away now," Rory said to Viviann, who rolled her eyes as she rolled further away in the bed they were currently sharing.

"No, really. Even just modeling this, seeing the reaction of the Living Rune in such a large network of runes might break your brain a bit," Rory added.

"Yeah, yeah, just get on with it." Viviann huffed as she obstinately looked away from the phantasmal projection of a hand that floated before Rory.

Confident that she wasn't sneaking a peek, Rory imagined the rune carving into the palm of the projection as it appeared moments later. The entire thing lit up with a thrum of potential that Rory felt, even though it was a mere projection.

"Potent," Rory whistled, even his head pounding.

The last time he had used the Living Rune, it should have killed him, except he'd had Eia conveniently around to feed him an Ossified Gem and the benefit of his version of the Inscription skill that helped reduce the 'you died' possibility. It showed his growth that he was fine despite the throbbing head this time around.

"How's it look?" Viviann asked, still looking away.

"Everything seems to flow nicely," Rory answered. "Of course, there are limits to how well this models reality, so we won't know for certain until it's done to the real thing."

"You think Mariah and Gil are finished on their end?" Viviann questioned.

"Probably. I also gave Mariah several vials of my blood to help make their blood substitute. As for Gil, knowing him, he probably had everything not essential at the forge dropped for the last week while they shifted their focus to this alone."

"You've got some dedicated kiddos," Viviann joked.

"Perhaps Gil," Rory half agreed. "Mariah is meanwhile slowly morphing into a mad scientist, so I think she will jump at the chance for funds and resources to mess around with things she wants to, which helps with that."

"I'm surprised you deduced all that. You're usually so distant from everyone else in the city."

"Distant isn't the same as socially inept or blind." Rory countered. "I may tend to keep to myself, but I still have two eyes."

"Relax, relax." Viviann patted him on the bicep as she rolled her eyes. "I was just making a joke. Besides, aside from the first generation of Ehkorrus citizens, you're closer to a fleeting phantom than a flesh-and-blood person. You unveil something incredible or go off to battle a powerful monster, and then you disappear for weeks at a time, if not more. Unsurprisingly, there is a belief that you likely aren't paying attention to the average person. I mean, can you tell me a bit about Heshyr?"

"Who?" Rory asked automatically before scowling. "Low blow. There is no Heshyr, is there?"

"There is."

Rory's scowl deepened further.

"As I said, relax. Anyway, you'll be disappearing from all this soon enough. You really will be disconnected from the rest of us then."

"It won't be that long," Rory said, not even believing himself.

Viviann's expression said that she didn't believe it either.

"A year, five tops," Rory said before sighing. "Or something like that."

"You realize you will return to a changed place, right?"

"Ehh, how much can it change in only a few years?" Rory waved it off. Perhaps it was arrogance, but he halfway suspected that the city's massive expansion would slow some without him. Plus, he meant it; he wouldn't be gone that long. Ten years.

Tops.

Not wanting to argue the point, Viviann stood up, wearing only a shirt. "We should go meet up with Gil and Mariah. As nifty as your little trick is, I think you'd prefer a real hand soon."

Rory glanced toward his nub, or where it was, as now there was a green-colored hand like a projected 3D image. It was nothing fancier than Rory using Architect's Reality and his projection magic to 'make' a temporary false hand. It was far from nimble; it had to be manipulated partially with direct Pneuma manipulation, but it was better than nothing.

"Fine." Rory sighed. "Let's go meet them."

Dragging himself out of bed, Rory quickly threw on a fitted vest and some black pants made of some linen that he honestly hadn't spent much time considering. Adding a pair of socks made from the sleek fur of a jackalope, he finally topped off the entire assortment with a pair of standard boots devoid of fancy inscriptions or the like. Dressed, Viviann joined him shortly after as they left his home, walking through the city.

"Oh, can we grab some coffee quick?" Viviann asked.

"Coffee?" Rory sputtered, nearly tripping over himself. "Since when have we had coffee?"

"Last year. Mariah finally got to that list of 'low-priority ideas for the future' you left some of us. Eventually got something like a coffee plant, after which Greg was able to make some proper coffee."

"I knew it was a good idea to let him stay the course of a chef," Rory said gleefully as they changed directions. Ehkorrus was still a small city, even though it had grown quite a bit larger than it was in the past. There wasn't an extensive catalog of 'luxury' shops or the like, given the size, but there was one, and that happened to be Greg's 'restaurant' that he ran. Unlike the dining hall, it would serve more 'high-end' foods, which now apparently consisted of coffee as well.

When he arrived, Rory folded his arms, taking a moment to appreciate the distinctive scent wafting from the restaurant, which was more akin to a food truck with outdoor seating.

Coffee. When was the last time I smelled coffee?

Only two others were currently there, so Viviann and Rory stepped straight up to the counter.

"Oh, Mr. Rory." Greg nodded to Rory, now a proper young man rather than the seventeen or eighteen-year-old he had been when he'd first arrived. "What can I get you and Ms. Viviann?"

"Two coffees," Rory said, barely suppressing the excitement.

"Two coffees. They've been some of our most popular items." Greg announced as he shuffled around in his backroom kitchen before setting out two mugs of black liquid. The mugs were also rather interesting, a dark brown with what looked like cracks.

"Oh, the cups? Designed by one of Gil's apprentices. It's just a basic composite of some powder and distilled something or the other. Honestly, I ignored the lecture. The main thing is it's cheap, and once you're done, all you need to do is inject some Pneuma into it, and the entire thing collapses in on itself, no mess involved!"

"Nifty," Rory said, meaning it.

With their cups in hand, they went from Greg's faux-food truck to the forge where Gil and Mariah would most likely be. Standing near the Stellar Heart, Rory saw Mariah and Gil bickering over something.

"Morning," Rory waved at the two as they turned to face them.

"Good morning, Founder Rory, Viviann," Gil nodded to Viviann almost as if she were an afterthought.

"Coffee?" Mariah perked up as she saw their cups. "One of my best choices was helping make that plant. Every cup earns me a small fraction of the overall credits spent."

"Oh, we didn't spend any credits on these," Rory said. "Greg gave them to us for free."

"Course he did," Mariah muttered as she shook her head. "Anyway, you seem like you already found a new hand."

"Oh, this?" Rory waved his projection hand. "Nah, it's a stopgap. I'd rather have a proper one."

"Well, then, do we have something for you," Gil cut in, earning a glare from Mariah. "Follow us."

After following the two further into the workshop, they stood in front of a small desk where a claw-like hand lay.

"Behold!" Gil said proudly as Mariah sighed.

"It's a hand." Rory nodded sagely.

"Mhhm! For the 'bones,' we used Pyroxene Ceramic. For the 'flesh,' we used an alloy of crimson steel and crimsonite that was specifically treated to be more malleable than usual, and lastly, for the skin, some good old runic leather!"

"Nifty," Rory said before turning to Mariah. "And on your end?"

"Inside, there is an artificial circulatory system filled with Plasmic Essence. We needed to balance the nature of your blood and, therefore, your essence against the mix used, which required a significant amount of trial and error, as I still don't have any reliable methods to directly measure the Cationic or Anionic Properties of something without, of course, testing them directly. Once the alchemic solvent was balanced according to your blood, we used bread for the physical token of the body conceptualization, a few tufts of blood weed -you know, the weeds that grow up around bloodwood trees, right?"

"I do now," Viviann said in place of Rory.

"Fair," Mariah said with a quick nod before continuing. "We also used a splash of Running Ice to counter the growing cationic charge gained by adding blood weed and, finally, some ground chitin of a void walker. We don't have a lot of materials related to void walkers, so I would have preferred to hold onto it, but given it's for our dear founder, how could I say no?"

"I'll owe you some assistance next time you have a big project that you want to work on," Rory said as he rolled his eyes at Mariah, who was batting her eyelashes at him.

"Perfect," She said happily. "After that, it was just a few… nitpicks between Gil and me on how to best put it all together."

"Still think my method was better than yours," Gil muttered as he shook his head.

"So now it's my part to play," Rory said before the two could resume bickering. "I just need to add the Inscription."

"Correct," Mariah said with a nod.

"Well then, what is there to wait for?"

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