A Spell, otherwise known as a weave is a fixed aether construct in space that when completed manifested phenomena unachievable by the current means.
The exact principles behind their creation weren't exactly known to the trio, but thanks to their mentors teachings, they could use many different weaves.
But that didn't mean that they were entirely ignorant on how they would be put to use.
Forming a star Sign out of star signs points connected by channels, star points bits of aether forcefully locked into the air by the caster and channels being the lines connecting the star points together, they could manifest a weave and adjust the intensity by manipulating the distance between the star points.
Duly noted that an increase of Aether was expected to be paid in due with larger and larger weaves.
It also goes without saying that even the smallest variation in the lengths of channels between star points could weaken the effects of a weave.
Of course, since it was a three dimensional construct in space with the ability to manifested however and from wherever direction, a way to direct the weaves was needed.
You couldn't exactly use a weave with ease if it was prone to fire off wildly in any direction, especially in ones face.
But thanks to the efforts of some unknown Weaver, astral focuses were formed
Using the users internal Aether purified after going through one round of the hosts body, an astral focus could be created and placed wherever needed to direct the path of the Weave.
In other words, as long as a weave was formed from the Weavers Internal Aether, the Astral focus could send the weave wherever it was pointed.
But that didn't mean that the Astral Focus had to exist on the users body to work.
Ester crossed his metallic left arm and fleshy right arm in thought.
Watching Eva swing her staff around with practiced ease, her palms glowed blue as Aether was channeled through her hands and into the staff.
Using the staff as an extension of her body, Star points and channels were swiftly formed in the air all around her in preparation of casting a weave.
Seeing how large it was, Ester noted that the Aetheric burden placed onto her body wouldn't be small in the slightest, especially in this contaminated Aetheric environment.
It helped that the staff itself was made out of an unknown conduit metal smoothing out the process of Weaving, but it seemed a bit excessive for what it was intended for.
[It's done.]
Pulling out a round headed object with a feather tail out of her bosom, an astral focus swiftly formed on its tail end before she tossed it upwards.
Tightly holding her staff with both hands, Eva kept a calculating eye on the falling object and the very moment it began to fall to the valley below.
She hit it.
Arcing through the air, the Astral focus inscribed object whistled through the corrupted winds blowing over the valley and struck the other side of the valley with a loud bang.
Then the Magic began.
Activating the Astral focus now embedded into the side of the mountain, the Weave placed in front of her responded, swiftly surging towards the Astral Focus.
Star Points and channels breaking apart, they rushed towards the Astral Focus and began to weave together a spell.
Feeling the Aether seep out of her body as she kept a connection with the Focus, Eva nearly stumbled from the strain.
Eye twitching and fingers trembling, Eva placed the buttt of the staff against the ground stabilizing her body.
But nevertheless, once a weave was cast, it wouldn't stop unless interrupted.
And unless Eva was willing to bet her life, it was something that she wouldn't be doing anytime soon.
Weave gathering the required Aether with nothing more and nothing less, the earth and stone surrounding the astral focus surged.
Forming the tip of a spike, stone erupted out of the side of the mountain instantaneously stabbing at them.
But even if it appeared threatening, Ester trusted Eva's calculations.
His trust proved unbroken.
Stabbing into the earth beneath them with a speed that would be difficult to evade, in the instant that the weave had been cast, a bridge bridging the gap in the valley appeared.
Not that it wasn't without its own set of difficulties.
Seeing Eva tremble, Ester worriedly patted her back
"Are you okay?"
[...]
Silence was his only answer.
"I'll take that as a no."
Letting out a sigh, Ester rubbed the back of his neck before looking at Astra apologetically.
"You don't mind us resting for a moment right? Eva needs to refill her Aether Reserves before they're contaminated again."
"Oh I don't mind." Smiling a smile that left Ester uncomfortable, Astra willfully began to skip over the bridge made of the large spike.
"After all our dear sister made a rather decent bridge with decent speed, its great that she's still decent after all this time hidden away don't you think brother?"
"..."
Giggling away, Astra covered her mouth with the palm of her hand before skipping away cheerfully.
"..."
Wondering deeply if it was a good idea to bring Astra along with them Ester was forced to abandon his ponderings at Eva's following words.
[I'm fine now.]
"No you aren't"
[I'm Fine]
'How is she still this stubborn after all this time.'
Letting out a silent sigh, Ester pointed at her trembling legs.
"And I don't suppose the earth is shaking around your feet?"
Eva averted her gaze.
"C'mon, there's nothing to be ashamed of here, we've been together since being snot nosed tiny ones, I've seen you at worse states." Tapping her legs, Eva trembled with shame as she lifted her staff and tried stabbing it into his foot.
Thankfully, despite losing his edge in many other skills due to disuse, reaction time wasn't one of them.
"You know that wouldn't work, why do it?"
[...]
Seeing that Eva still avoided his gaze, Ester rubbed his forehead before letting out a sigh audible even beyond the muffling provided by the mask.
"You leave me no choice."
[Eh]
Expressing her confusion through her voice box, the mechanically female voice failed to express the amusing expression on her face.
Having swept Eva up off of her feet, Ester smiled underneath his mask as Eva dumbfoundedly looked between Ester's arms and face, alternating between the two in abject confusion.
It was honestly amusing.
Tightly holding her staff, Ester frowned when her voice box instantly broke with a whine and crack.
[EeEeeEHhHH*!#()$#)#()Q@#()#!$*#&$^%^&#*()!]
It was one garbled mess of unintelligible words and signs that didn't seem keen on letting up soon.
"Stay still."
Adjusting his grip on her body, Ester moved his hand towards her face which strangely enough caused the voice box to malfunction some more.
[AHssAJGHJAJFHGHSJA]
"What language are you speaking?"
Joking with Eva, with a flick of the switch, the voice box which had been malfunctioning by spewing out a garbled stream of words with no distinct meaning in them finally fell into silence.
"..."
"Ah, I forgot, I turned off your Voice box."
Readjusting his grip so now that his hands were firmly holding onto Eva's body, Ester walked forwards, stepping over the curved body of the earthen spike bridging the gap between the empty valley.
'That's a long fall.'
Spotting the rushing river straits down below that would turn anything that fell into it a mushy paste, even stone, Ester tightened his grip around Eva and continued to walk over the spike.
Strangely enough, Eva's body felt warmer than usual.
Once he made it to the other side however, Ester caught sight of Astra's expression.
Even in their younger days when Ester was still under the impression that they were on the same side, Astra had a natural smile on her face that hid any thoughts behind that mask of hers.
Now though?
Ester felt as if Astra's natural smile which usually hid every other emotion in her face now seemed a bit... forced.
Another glance her way showed Ester he was just imagining the entire forced smile ordeal.
'Did Eva's empty reserves spread to me to?'
Playfully thinking of an impossible scenario, Ester gestured for Astra to lead the way.
"What are you waiting for? Lead the way, Ash Town is just a bit ahead."
But despite gesturing for her to lead the way, Astra's arms remained crossed and her legs firmly planted in the ground "Hey Ester"
"Yes?" Tilting his head, Astra's smile seemed somehow... threatening.
"You know my legs hurt right?"
"..."
"..."
"...What?"
Tilting his head, Ester shook his head, surely he had misheard.
"Didn't you hear me? My legs hurt."
"..."
So he didn't imagine it.
Falling into thought, he glanced at her face before looking at the body carried in his hands.
'Hahaha, no way right?'
"My legs hurt, so carry me."
'...'
It seemed that there was a way.
"...I have an idea"
Looking at Eva carried in his arms, he slowly placed her onto the ground, setting down the bag on his back
"Why don't we just take a rest here? Then I can fix our things."
---
In the end, the rest that Ester had proposed never came to pass.
Standing up as if her empty Aether reserves were nothing more than a lie, Eva confidently walked forwards closely followed by Eva whose legs didn't exist.
Quite literally, the previous legs that she had been born with were now nothing more than very high quality prosthetics that mimicked the real deal with a few extra addons
Sensation of pain wasn't one of them
But anyways.
Having taken the Astral focus engraved object already, the results of the weave remained present in the world as a large bridge set between the two sides of the valley.
In the future, it would be turned into an important pathway between Ash town and Metal Tooth, the town besides the mountain, but there was no way that the trio would know that.
The only thing that they knew right now was that the path before them was more broken then they had initially though
Not that it also wasn't without its own set of difficulties
Cannibalistic tribes of maddened exiled, roaming flocks of Klatul birds, Carnivorous puddles that devoured bodies, ambush predators lying in wait for delectable prey.
And these were nothing more than the more visible and immediate threats.
Hunger, thirst, air, stamina, many of these physical problems were omnipresent in their travels.
*Sh sh Sh sh Sh
*Crunch crunch
Boots crunching against the dirt, cold filtered air entered their lungs as gear pumps spun around exchanging exhaled carbon dioxide with metal pure air
Save for the exception of Astra who seemed fine without the use of a respirator, Ester, Eva and Astra all covered the crest of the hill with one smooth motion.
Eyes locking onto their destination that was now in sight, the trio stepped towards the mystery of their mentors final gifts.
If only their mentors mentioned the problems in procuring these final gifts.
+++
Tree that has a bio exam, pray for me