The Mech Touch

"Well, that happened." Ves flatly said as the show had finally ended and the Journeymen retreated to the backstage. "We met our goal… or not. It depends."

An hour had passed since the mech arena had turned into a cacophony of celebration and exaltation. Among the tens of thousands of Heavensworders who especially returned to the venue at the final day and the final hour, witnessing the birth of a masterwork sword was one of the greatest events that they have ever experienced!

Even now, the enthused Heavensworders spread word of this amazing feat of craftsmanship to the rest of the clan. In fact, they even relayed their news to their former home, causing the distant sword fanatics all the way back in the Heavensword Association to celebrate this occasion as well despite all of the light-years of separation!

If not for the fact that the clan forbid any footage from leaking out, the distant state would have blown up even more!

Even so, the immensity of Ketis' accomplishment could not be overstated. Very few master swordsmiths of the Heavensword Association had managed to equal her already-legendary feat, and most of them only managed to make their magnus opuses in the last decades of their illustrious careers.

The fact that Ketis managed to forge a masterwork mech sword when she was still in her early thirties signified a lot of promise!

It was for this reason that interest from the Heavensword Association had intensified. Ves even had to order Minister Shederin Purnesse to watch over Ketis and speak on behalf of the Larkinson Clan. The young swordmaster may be many things, but she was not a professional diplomat.

Ves threw a brief glance at her. Shederin Purnesse looked to be in his element as his projection hovered next to Ketis. The two calmly engaged in a conversation with the projected forms of an entire delegation of Heavensworders.

From their uniforms, markings and body language, Ves tentatively managed to distinguish a couple of swordmasters, mech designers, swordsmiths and other officials.

It seemed that the significance of creating a masterwork sword was a lot more exciting than any other masterwork!

"We made more progress than any Journeyman should have accomplished. Any step forward should be celebrated." Juliet opined.

Gloriana did not look pleased at all. She frowned as she hugged Clixie against her chest.

"Ketis could have at least shared the bounty with us! We all worked on the Decapitator Project. Why is she the only one who can receive credit for this accomplishment?!"

Ves placed his hand on her shoulder to shush her. "Don't be too upset, Gloriana. Didn't you manage to study and glean a couple of new insights from seeing a masterwork mech sword take shape? It is still a product on the second rung of the ladder. Each chance for us to glimpse upwards is a precious learning opportunity."

"I know that, Ves, but how many insights did you manage to obtain this time?!"

"Uhmmm…"

Gloriana snorted. "I thought so. Despite working together on the same expert mech, only Ketis gained anything useful this time. We were hardly different from bystanders this time!"

The cat she embraced reacted as well.

"Miaow."

Ves couldn't help but stand up for his former student. "I think you know quite well that it's not her fault that we failed to make any substantial gains. We only have ourselves to blame for not caring as much about the Decapitator Project as Ketis. She was the only one of us who treated it as a passion project. She poured so much work into designing a new mech sword and figuring out how to reforge an existing one into a new one that her contribution to this project is a multitude higher than ours."

"That's because she hogged all of the good stuff to herself!"

"And why is that wrong?" Ves puzzlingly frowned. "You may be excellent at technical design, but you can't surpass Ketis when it comes to designing a swordsman mech even if it is a custom one. The extra work she put into the Decapitator Project neatly compensates for her lack of contribution on other projects such as the Amaranto."

"Back when we fabricated the Amaranto, Ketis managed to ride on our coattails! We've generously carried her along when we created our latest masterwork mech! Why can't she repay the favor when she had the opportunity to do so this time?"

Ves sighed. "None of us can exert any control over that. I seriously doubt that Ketis has held back in any way. Just look at the finished expert mech of ours. Does it look as if it is a masterwork mech or close to it? No! The expert mech frame correctly reflects our skill and effort into making it. From what I can see, we haven't contributed anything noteworthy. Do you disagree?"

His wife grunted in frustration. She couldn't argue against his logic but that didn't help with soothing her frustrations. She looked enviously at the mech sword that had been placed on the side. The large and inspirational work of art was a different kind of masterwork than what she and her husband typically made.

Even masterworks came in different flavors. It was hard for Ves and Gloriana to distinguish them at their current level but they could already sense that the mech sword was remarkable in a different manner.

"Our results are already far above expectations." Juliet said in an attempt to shift the subject. "No matter who deserves credit, our clan will become a lot more notable in the mech industry because of this. We have tentatively proven that the Amaranto is not a fluke. Although the mech frame of the Decapitator Project is not a masterwork, we were still able to showcase that we are anything but average Journeymen. In the right circumstances, we create wonders."

That caused Ves to reflect on the elaborate ceremony and how much of it contributed to the current results.

When Ketis finally ended her initial exchange with the Heavensworders, she walked over to her colleagues with a smile. She had already pushed Sharpie back into Bloodsinger so her personality became more youthful again.

"Thank you, everyone." She sincerely said and bowed. "I couldn't have done it without all of your help."

Gloriana grumpily nodded. "You're welcome."

After a rather terse exchange, the four decided to take a closer look at the latest masterwork creation that had been produced by the clan.

The Journeymen already sensed the restrained lethality of the weapon as they approached. The closer they moved, the more they felt the inherent threat and guardedness of the blade.

To Ves, the mech sword was alive in a different way that he was accustomed to. Much of it came from Ketis instead of him, which was natural as he hadn't contributed much to the design of the sword.

Though he still tried to keep himself apprised on what Ketis had planned for the mech sword, now that he finally saw the realized version up close, he discovered that there was a considerable distance between him and his student when it came to designing and making swords.

"This is the power of specialization." He whispered.

"Indeed." Juliet nodded in agreement. "This is a great asset to the Swordmaidens. It can even become a permanent part of the heritage of our clan."

"Why would you say that?" Gloriana asked.

"Think about the meaning of the Amaranto. It's an expert mech that is completely designed to fit a single individual. That's great because Venerable Stark will be able to progress much easier than others. What I am wondering about is what will happen to the Amaranto in the future. Once Venerable Stark grows too old or has outgrown this masterwork expert mech, what can we do with it? We can't assign it to another expert pilot because we have to deconstruct its entire design just to make it compatible with someone else."

Without an expert pilot, the masterwork expert mech could no longer be employed in combat. This meant that it would likely be relegated to a museum exhibit just like any outdated machine. Aside from admiring its excellent craftsmanship and commemorating its historical accomplishments, there was no other use for the Amaranto in the distant future.

Juliet turned to Ketis. "Let me ask you this question. Can this sword of yours be wielded by other swordsman mech pilots in the future?"

Ketis frowned. She never thought about this issue before. She turned to her best work and scanned it as if to find an answer from the sword itself.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, but I think it's possible. Mind you, the size, dimensions, balance and other properties of this mech sword is completely tailored to Venerable Dise's fighting style as well as the parameters of the Decapitator Project. My sword will perform the best when it is paired with the two. If you change these variables, I can't ensure whether my blade will offer the same benefits. Likely not, but who knows."

Ves became quite intrigued at where this was going. "So the masterwork mech sword can theoretically be passed on to another mech pilot and mech?"

She nodded. "It's possible, but… it depends on whether the sword agrees. It's alive, you know. I can hear it sing to me. Right now, it is still a young weapon, but it is already attuned to Venerable Dise. I don't think my weapon wants to be wielded by anyone else as long as its battle partner remains alive and well."

"What about after that?" Ves pressed. "What if Venerable Dise retires or something?"

"I think… she might be able to encourage her sword to partner with another worthy wielder if she's still alive." Ketis reluctantly said. "If not, the sword can decide whether someone else deserves to use it in battle on its own. The best way to pass it on is to train a Swordmaiden who adopts a similar mentality and fighting style to Venerable Dise."

"An heir, in other words."

Ketis nodded. "That will work. That's quite common in the Heavensword Assocation, you know. The sword schools are really big on inheritances and stuff. That's why swordmasters put so much effort into training their disciples. Once the older ones are no longer fit enough to hold their treasured swords, they pass it on to someone who can keep their legacy alive and bring it to greater heights. If it has worked out for the Heavensworders, I can't see why it wouldn't work for this as well. Venerable Dise is already in the process of training a batch of promising mech pilots in the form of the Blade Mistresses."

"The mech pilots who are a part of these retinue squads are more like interns rather than disciples." Ves noted. "The membership of groups like the Blade Mistresses rotate every once in a while to give other promising mech pilots an opportunity to receive personalized guidance from one of our expert pilots. As far as I am aware, the relationship between the two hasn't reached the level of a master-disciple bond."

"That's true, but that can always change. Venerable Dise just has to wait for the right Swordmaiden mech pilot to come along. The veterans among the Swordmaidens won't do. They've already found their own directions and their potential isn't the highest. There are a lot of recruits to choose from, though Dise might not pick any of them up. You can't rush this kind of decision."

"I understand."

Ves was already happy that there was a possibility for the mech sword to become a treasured heirloom to the Larkinson Clan. Since it was made out of Unending alloy, it would definitely remain relevant even if his clan reached first-class standards one day. The living weapon also possessed growth qualities so it would definitely become an even more significant relic in the distant future.

"This is a real treasure." He smiled and continued to admire the gigantic blade. "It also deserves a name of its own. Have you thought of any yet, Ketis?"

"Let's ask Venerable Dise first. This mech sword is dedicated for her use."