Chapter 266 - Two Week Break 1

"This doesn't seem right."

Rynold looked over to Crimson, wondering to what he was referring. "What is?" Rynold asked, pursuing the matter. Rynold thought that something was worrying the way Jack said it.

"This," Crimson pointed on the metal-looking rod propped up with stands on the desk. It was none other than a weapon Crimson had been working on these past two weeks. And with some help from Rynold, of course.

Not having a clear view, Rynold stood up from what he was working on and moved closer to Crimson. He looked over the table, trying to figure out what Crimson had been worried about, something that caused the latter to reach out in concern.

"What do you mean?" Rynold asked as he looked closer, eyeing the weapon carefully. "There's nothing wrong with it, though. I don't get what you're trying to show me here, man."

"The lining," Crimson urged that something had gone wrong, "I don't think it's right. It looks crooked."

Rynold glanced over to Crimson's worried expression, doubtful that he would see things clearly. He then looked back to the weapon and said, "You're overthinking it. The inscriptions are fine. Didn't you do them yourself? Have some confidence."

After saying that, Crimson fell silent, not uttering a word. Rynold shot him a curious look, thinking that the lack of confidence must have stemmed from something. Whatever that may be, it disallowed Crimson to see his craftsmanship right in front of him.

"Try it out," Rynold said, not so much as asking but more of ordering. He knew good craftsmanship when he saw it. And, for all intents and purposes, Crimson made a good weapon.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Rynold nodded as he grabbed the rod by the center and handed it over to Crimson, "You've been working away at this thing for the past two weeks. Time to see the fruit of all that effort."

While Rynold had completed his fair share of projects these past few weeks, he was confident in his abilities. Having gone through enough trials and experienced, Rynold had a better idea of what he could do and not do. And, with the Mech God's help, Rynold doubled down on his fundamentals, exploring more of what was possible in the realms of magical crafts.

But, it was different for Crimson.

Nervous, Crimson held on the rod with a tight grip and held it out in front of him. Rynold watched in awe for a second, then, almost immediately after, he grabbed onto Crimson's wrist tightly.

"What?!" Crimson yelled out in pain as the Mana Gauntlets on Rynold's arm brought pain to Crimson's forearm. Rynold, realizing what he had done, released his grip.

"Sorry, didn't mean to hold on that much," Rynold apologized as he sighed, "You're seriously going to try it inside? Didn't we learn not to do something like that the first few minutes since we got here?"

"It was your fault the first time," Crimson reeled back the weapon as he rubbed the injury with his other hand. The sprain could've been much worse, but it still hurt.

"Yeah, yeah," Rynold nodded, remembering the first failed experiment just minutes since the Mech God left them in the workshop, "I didn't mean for it to explode like that. And I apologized a million times over for it. To both you and the Mech God. So, you know, neither one of us would make the same mistake."

"I'd hardly call that a mistake, seeing as how you nearly blew your head off," Crimson rebutted, testifying to how terrifying the experiment's failure was.

"Hey, I made up for it by helping you with whatever you needed, alright? Don't come attacking me now after you're at the final steps of your project."

Rynold joked, playing off the really dumb thing he did. There were no excuses for what he let happen, as Rynold could only play it off and apologize profusely.

Nonetheless, the past was the past. Crimson, for one, had already let go of it long before now. He just often brought it up to talk to Rynold, maintaining their cool after a long day's worth of work.

That said, the two of them stepped outside of the small, stuffy room they had been in for the past few weeks. Walking out to the empty street just outside of the building, Crimson walked a few steps away from Rynold and held out the weapon.

Crimson let out a deep breath as he glanced in Rynold's direction, finding the confidence to let him succeed. There was nothing more for Rynold to do than nod and give a few words of encouragement. Albeit, Rynold focused more on the words rather than the encouragement.

"Quit screwing around, Crimson," Rynold yelled from afar, much to Crimson's annoyance, "Put your Mana on it already. Let's go."

As the light shone from the blue sky and reflected on the metal rod, Crimson shook his head in frustration. Crimson slightly lamented his decision of following this rather annoying guy but ultimately focused on the weapon in his hand.

A hellish red hue emanated from the weapon in an inconsistent and sporadic manner. One second it was bright and, a second later, it wasn't. Rynold saw this and knew that something was amiss. Thus, leading to a panicked expression on his face. Rynold did not like where this was going.

"Crimson, stop!"

"What?" Crimson stopped circulating his Mana and looked at Rynold strangely. Doing so ceased the changes on the weapon, and Rynold breathed a sigh of relief.

Rynold approached the confused Crimson and quickly snatched the weapon from his hand. He inspected it in a much more detailed manner this time around. Looking at it from different angles, it soon became apparent what was missing.

Shaking his head in disappointment, Crimson wondered what had gone wrong. "What's the matter?" he asked, poking Rynold's thoughts.

To which, Rynold responded with a glare shot in Crimson's way. He looked at him in such a way that implied Crimson had done something stupid. To which seemed to be the most accurate description.

"I can ask you a lot of questions right now, but let's just cut to the chase," Rynold sighed as he put down the weapon to his side, "What the hell is your Mana Core like?"

Crimson looked at Rynold weirdly, unsure how to answer the question. And, to be frank, Crimson had no idea what Rynold meant when he asked that. It was an abstract question at best. Something that, to the likes of Crimson, seemed rhetorical.

"Wha-?"

"You know what? Never mind that," Rynold took back his earlier question, seeing as how he wouldn't get an answer. "Did you change anything from the original schematic when you made this? You know, anything that led to it not conducting Mana properly?"

As soon as Rynold asked that, Crimson paused, looked down, and shook his head. Rynold didn't think Crimson would lie about something like this, but he still thought to ask. Either way, though, the glaring issue was still there.

"You messed up," Rynold held the weapon out and showed where Crimson had gone wrong, "The imbuing isn't half-bad, but the fluctuations in maintaining the Mana is problematic. You're going to need to fix that. Otherwise, it'll either break or blow up in your face. And I don't mean the good kind. So, don't try to infuse your Mana into that thing without fixing it first."

Rynold handed over the weapon, having said what Crimson needed to do. It was a bit shy of specific instruction, but Rynold thought it would be better for Crimson to learn and adapt on his own.

Besides, Rynold wasn't the best person to ask. He was just the only other person there. If anything, Rynold just gave an opinion on what Crimson should do. It was an opinion based on his experience, but it was an opinion nonetheless.

That said, Crimson grabbed the weapon from Rynold's hand, looking at it immensely. Rynold, on the other hand, watched how Crimson would deal with the situation.

Choosing to observe from afar, the two of them made their way back to their workshop. Rynold moved to the side while Crimson moved back to his worktable. He looked at the weapon carefully, trying to figure out what Rynold meant. All the while, Rynold himself observed not too far from the side.

'Will he actually get it?'

Rynold looked around the workshop both Crimson and he had spent in these past two weeks. While working in close spaces was far from the ideal working conditions, Rynold appreciated the top-of-the-line equipment he had the pleasure of working with.

Not only that, but Rynold also had the pleasure of having the blueprints the Mech God had used before. They inspired multiple creations Rynold considered to be his best work. While they were nowhere near the Mech God's creations, they still had their strengths.

Suddenly, the sound of pages flipping came from the worktable Crimson was using. Rynold looked over as Crimson was on the verge of a breakthrough.