Chapter 21 - Focus
While all of the Godsborn he'd met had always been races he was familiar with, even if only in knowledge, she was something entirely new. They had Siderian Unicorns, the ones that called themselves Starlight Unicorns after the elves whose form they often also took but nothing like her. The horns growing from her head aside from the main one were all dyed with cleansed magic: she was a living breathing form of a Star Ash. She was based off of the unicorn form all knew Lord Sidus to have even if he never usually showed it to any.
He kept his distance, his voice reverent as he spoke, "I hope you don't mind me asking but…What exactly are you? You're not a Siderian Unicorn, Starlight, they call themselves."
"My children will be," she responded evenly, "Assuming I ever decide to have any. I am a Starborn Unicorn. My kind have no parents or family to speak of save Lord Sidus himself in a way. We are born from the collection of his magic in starseeing ponds."
His eyes moved to her horns once more, the brilliant collection of thirteen of them, though his limited knowledge of unicorns had already told him that it should have only been five. He would have found it odd that she needed a focus, except he did know a thing or two about form-shifting magic. Her horns became a part of the cloak of magic that would be around her at all times in the elven form. Most people couldn't make use of that cloak without something to tap into it.
"What kind of focus would you prefer?" He asked, taking a single step closer as he spoke, "May I examine them so I can see what I would be able to do with the material?"
She lowered her head onto the ground to allow him to see them more easily and because she was genuinely weary after the pain from earlier, "More than one would be nice," she admitted quietly, her emotion modulating the voice in the air as if it came from her own lungs instead of being created by magic, "In case one is taken or otherwise compromised. I will still be able to cast, but doing so will also reveal that I am a creature that has such valuable materials as part of their body. I do not know if it is the case here, but trimmings from unicorn horns are often used in focuses where I am from."
"It is," his fingers were gentle and cautious as he touched her main horn, the only one that was white in color though all were pearlescent, "I stay away from the practice, though. I can acquire Star Ash parts pretty easily from the ones that keep guard over the tree, considering I've the skill to work with them, and I don't have to worry about the ethicality of how my ingredients were obtained that way. They can offer all the promises they want of willing cooperation and the like, but unless I hear it from the unicorn's mouth I can't bring myself to accept, you know."
She respected the craftsman for that stance, far more than she would ever admit aloud as it would also convey her fear. She knew what was done to captured unicorns that were kept for parts that didn't involve their death. While she wasn't exactly keen to die, it would be far better than that fate.
Her tail lashed with slight unease as the images of nightmares returned unbidden. Chained, likely not even allowed to stand and walk, forced to eat and drink if they didn't just wire her up to something that would provide sustenance without her needing to do so. They would shear her horns down to nothing, far more than was ever intended by her nature and the magic in the cold chains would keep her from protesting audibly, from escaping. They would take from her mane, her tail, her hooves, likely even her blood until she eventually succumbed to death.
He'd paused at the lash of her tail and the quiver that ran through her, his expression softening, "I can understand your fear all too well. I may not be valuable for what I can grow, but enchanters of my caliber are very rare and there are people that would pay to have me as a pet that churns out whatever they wish. I spent a very long time cultivating friendships and strength before I dared reveal the full level of my skills. Yarrow was an intelligent one to bring you to me rather than any other. I doubt they could work with something this strong without demolishing their workshops since most of them can't even work with Star Ash yet…Your horns are far past that in quality."
It was a compliment, if one she didn't really want. He spent several more long minutes examining each of her horns, muttering to himself in dwarvish as he did. Apparently he was absolutely certain that the small horns would be easy to trim but far less so about the main one. She softly provided the name of the tool Luri used, rather confident he'd have one available.
He frowned, "That can cut unicorn horn?" His grumblings suggested disbelief.
"From a willing unicorn," she provided, "It is much harder to work with things from one that is unwilling as the magic fights as much as the unicorn does."
He turned and made his way to gather the tools, carefully trimming each horn to exactly the length she mentioned. As soon as he was done, she returned to her elven form though she remained seated on the floor.
"You never mentioned what you wanted," he prompted after a bit of silence that he spent contemplating what he had to work with.
"A bracelet, at least one ring and an anklet should suffice," she responded, having been mulling it over since he'd asked, "It would be great if you could make the horn pass as something else, but I don't know if that's possible," she said with a sigh.
"With ingredients of this quality, definitely," he said with a small smile and headed to a workbench where he grabbed a metal she was almost certain was very expensive.
"How much will I owe you?" She decided to get the talk of payment out of the way sooner rather than later.
He turned to regard her as if she'd turned into something offensive rather than an elf, "You're giving me crafting materials of the utmost quality, such quality that I'd honestly assume they came from Sidus himself if someone just handed them to me, and you're asking what you owe? I should be paying you for the honor of doing this," he frowned at her expression, "But, if you insist on payment…Allow me to keep any pieces that aren't going to be directly useful in making what you asked for. I can make some wonderful focuses with that, the kind that will be passed down as heirlooms, if not national treasures."
"That should be fine," she agreed readily enough, unicorn magic and particularly Starborn magic wasn't great for destroying things without the unicorn's actual will to guide it. It would keep the focuses from falling into the wrong hands as they'd likely render themselves inactive if Sidus didn't intervene personally.