Chapter 4480: Semi Sentience (Part 2)

"I can, but only after I finish upgrading Tista’s and my Orichalcum, since they’ll both end up in my pockets." Lith replied. "Turning Adamant into Davross will take so long that giving you a hand with your Orichalcum is not a problem."

"Thank you." It wasn’t what she had hoped for, but it was better than nothing. "Before you go, do you have a minute?"

"For you, I have five." Lith smirked, receiving a smack on the shoulder. "What’s the matter?"

Faluel used a mind link to share every detail of her fight against the Isharas and Gungnir’s behavior.

"I was surprised hearing it... Him talk, but after that day, he has remained completely silent, and it’s pissing me off." She said. "Do you have any idea why he behaves like that?"

"As I told you the first time, I find it hard to believe the weapon Solus and I crafted for you is semi-sentient at all." Lith replied. "Everything else is just absurd to me. My rule of thumb when I don’t understand something is to speak with an expert."

A flick of Lith’s fingers Warped everyone to the Mansion. He then asked Solus, Menadion, and the Ernas to join him. Another mind link shared Gungnir’s conundrum with them.

"You’ve already Forgemastered a second semi-sentient weapon?" Orion was flabbergasted. "That’s an amazing feat for someone your age. I never made anything like that until I crafted War."

Ragnarök squeaked with joy hearing its old name and the pride its maker exuded when talking about it.

"Well, good for you. I’ve never Forgemastered anything like that, Orion." Ripha studied the different weapons with her Forgemastering spells, trying to sort out their similarities and differences.

"You didn’t?" Much to everyone’s surprise, the question came from Jirni. "The legendary First Ruler of the Flames never achieved a weapon of this quality?"

"No. Never." Menadion narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "I can understand your pride in your husband’s skills, Jirni, but never question mine or my talent. I’m the first to admit I fall short in this aspect, but I think I know why this happened."

"Which is?" Lith asked.

"Two reasons." Menadion replied. "First, I never mastered Blade Magic myself. I knew it, understood it, and could even use it outside combat situations, but never at its full potential.

"I never was a Blade Mage. I just knew enough to understand the phenomenon thoroughly and be able to reliably Forgemaster Blade Weapons for my clients. Which leads us to the second reason.

"Blade Weapons were just another job. I put all my heart and soul into them, but I never gave them a purpose or poured more effort into them than my client’s reputation inspired me.

"I suppose I unwittingly always held back a bit because I knew that someday those very weapons might be used against me. You guys, instead, have worked hard to master Blade Magic and can use it in actual combat.

"You’ve ingrained it in your flesh and bones, and this makes your connection with your weapons much more intimate than I’ve ever allowed mine to be. Moreover, when you Forgemastered the semi-sentient weapons, they carried a great significance to you."

Menadion turned to examine them.

"War was born to kill Phloria’s enemies. Grimlock was crafted to cut down all those who hurt Orion as Deirus and Jirni did." Everyone turned to look at Lady Ernas, but if those words hurt her, it didn’t show.

"The conditions under which the rest of the semi-sentient weapons have been created are also similar. They all had a purpose and deep feelings behind them. Something I never did, not even while designing the Fury.

"I didn’t want my descendants to fight. I wanted them to be happy and live the serene life I never had." Menadion said while looking at Solus.

"This can’t be right." Orion’s voice expressed all the outrage he felt at such a theory. "Why would I make a semi-sentient weapon for Lith, yet none of my daughters received one? My Little Flower’s Reaver was a masterpiece, but had no sentience.

"The same happened for Bloodbind and Dreadnought. Are you telling me that I have deeper feelings for myself, Lith, and my wife than for my own children?"

"Quite the contrary, Orion." Menadion shook her head. "It’s your love for them that clipped their weapons’ wings"

"I beg your pardon?" Once again, Jirni chimed in unexpectedly.

’First, Menadion rubbed in my face how I hurt my husband, and now she’s implying that he loves me less than our daughters?’ She thought while keeping her face a stone mask.

"You heard me." The First Ruler of the Flames nodded. "When Orion Forgemastered the weapons for Phloria, Quylla, and Friya, you can bet his heart went to them. He poured his skill and soul into the metal, but gave them no purpose.

"When he Forgemastered War, instead, he couldn’t give a damn about Lith. Orion put his mind, heart, and soul in every pulse of mana and strike of his hammer. He etched his fury not only in the metal, but also in the pseudo cores.

"Orion’s entire being was channeled into the blade at the moment of War’s creation, and so it achieved semi-sentience. The same thing probably happened for the other weapons. Orion and Lith didn’t focus on the people they wanted to protect, but on those they wanted to hurt.

"Defense is a passive thing, Jirni. It can’t do anything unless there is a threat, and a mind can’t be just turned on and off at will. Attack, instead, is active. It’s will, fire, and bloodthirst.

"Even while at rest, your weapons think about how to use your and their powers. They revise the past fights, looking for any mistake either of you might have made. They plan ahead. They sharpen their edge in silence for the next kill."

At those words, everyone looked at their respective semi-sentient weapons, but they remained still. All but the Sage Staff which whistled awkwardly, trying to act natural and standing out like a sore thumb.

"That’s why I’m not surprised Gungnir doesn’t speak outside of combat, and Skywarp and Grimlock have yet to speak at all. Gungnir was crafted with my and Lith’s methods, but it’s still young.

"It needs all his effort to develop interest into something more than just fighting. Grimlock and Skywarp, instead, are just like War was. They were Forgemastered before your Awakening, Orion, and unlike War, they’ve seen a handful of fights.

"In time, I’m sure they’ll talk, but do not expect them to make amiable conversations. At best they’ll exchange strategies with the other semi-sentient weapons and say a couple words to you if they believe it might help you."

"It certainly makes sense." Jirni assembled her needles into the double-headed glaive Skywarp.

The weapon moved as an extension of her being, one attack flowing seamlessly into the next one. Yet the weapon didn’t say anything, and Jirni could only feel Skywarp’s energy remain placid like the surface of a lake.

"I’ve been cooped up all this time. My weapon barely tasted any blood."

"No offense, Ripha, but if I have to risk my life to get this jerk to open up, I’d rather he remain silent." Faluel said.