The Towers that Eclipes Darkshire

[Tearen Wover]

Nealaphh suppressed the urge to feel joy at what Tom had accomplished in such a short amount of time. It was good to have someone so devoted to the cause of the Omniverse Institute, even if it was largely because he was being presented with such a perplexing conundrum to solve. Nealaphh reached out with its mind and coaxed the insect-level intelligence in the aqueous metal to take on a variety of ornate shapes, such as crystalline grids, fourth dimensional shadows and other similar constructs. The God-Mind was almost to the point of feeling threatened by Tom, and it was probably not a misplaced suspicion. Someone with as much ambition as the wizard would no doubt take the most opportune moment to try and advance himself past Nealaphh's station if it suited his needs. The trick, then, was to ensure that Tom always benefited more from working under the Enigma, rather than against it.

The premise of such social maneuvering wasn't entirely different from the logic used to divert a flow of water in the direction desired. Add resistance in certain key places, and remove resistance in others. Currently Tom's main source of resistance was his relatively new status in the Omniverse. His mind, of course, banished any notion of ignorance, but the mere fact that he lacked the Omnilium reserves needed to accomplish all of his goals at once was a major hindrance. Nealaphh had indeed noticed, despite Tom's great efforts to conceal it, that the young demi-human was actually rather impatient for someone with such a measured intelligence. It was to be expected; even the greatest of mortal thinkers always tried to achieve their goals as quickly as possible. It was just an inherent part of having a limited lifespan.

It was a good thing, then, that the very next day saw the delivery of the final shipment of Goron Ore from the Steppes. The delay due to Drake's reckless gambit had indeed been grating, but Nealaphh had to remind itself of its own immortality. Patience and Time were its greatest assets. The ability to think in the extremely long term was a practiced skill that the God-Mind needed to retain, if nothing else. With the assembly and refinery fully operational, getting the Osmium processed and ready for fabrication took even less time than it had previously.

The metallic osmium and Tom's inspired liquid concoction (it wasn't often that Nealaphh did not have a proper name for something) bonded together flawlessly. The cool solution hissed loudly as it met the super heated surface of the Osmium that Nealaphh was bending slowly into shape. Arcane processes that Nealaphh was not entirely certain it understood sent rays of violent purple light sparking from the shaping hammer as both Primes used their individual methods to simultaneously bring the weapon to life. The few Gorons who had bothered to stay and watch the event shifted uncomfortably as they watched the display, noxious fumes and steam pouring from the Hammer. Nealaphh wasn't sure if the non-psychic Steppes natives could hear it, but the gestalt intelligence inside the hammer screamed the entire time. It was really quite thrilling.

All at once, the hammer slammed to the floor, shattering the cobblestone under it with an immense explosion of noise. The hammer reverberated for several moments, holding an oddly pleasant chime as the vibrations eventually subsided. The leylines that had been traced in the haft of the weapon flashed red-green every few moments, as if the hammer possessed its very own heartbeat; a testament to the two united schools of reality warping that had gone into making this utterly beautiful tool. The haft was a long, simple cylinder that met full tang with the large, hemispherical head that mirrored in two opposite directions.

Nealaphh was aware that Tom found the fact that the weapon was hammer to be slightly disappointing, but the fact that it was so simple appealed greatly to the God-Mind. People often conflated simplicity with stupidity, or a lack of refinement. In Nealaphh's opinion, the ability to solve a problem with the simplest tool possible actually denoted more intelligence than otherwise. Needlessly complex approaches to any conundrum often simply delayed the same outcome, and there was a saying among Enigmas that it's not worth searching for a shortcut if you can do it the long way in the same amount of time.

I suppose we're ready then. Nealaphh said, plucking the hammer off of the ground with a mental tug. Even with the inertial assitance from the ingrained magic, the Gigaton Hammer still had a significant amount of heft. Hopefully Darunia would find it suitable.

"I suppose so. When are we to depart?" Tom asked clasping his hands behind his back. Nealaphh passed the hammer to one of the Goron's, who grasped it tentatively. Others of the stone men edged away from him with markedly unsubtle shuffles.

I am leaving immediately. If you, however, need to make arrangements for your secondaries, there is time.

With that, Nealaphh, turned on its axis and swiftly began marching towards the exit of the workshop. The Gorons followed close behind, eager to return to the warmth and life of their homeland...