The weapon that Ella had presented to Mathis was of fine craftsmanship, to be certain "I presume you made this weapon yourself, Ella? It is a wonderful work, and it pains me to same that the same cannot be said of me with Monado. I merely acquired Monado from my homeland before it sank into the seas. While my blade is as old as time, yours is new. It is a unique design, different from the ones of Alrest and of some of the other lands I have traveled to."
He took hold of the weapon, testing out each setting and seeing what they registered on the dummy. While they were impressive numbers for sure, much higher than the standard-grade ordinance of the armies he had seen throughout the world, they paled in comparison to the strength of Monado.
"Truly you have made an impressive work of weaponry, especially for one of your youth. I apologize for my presumptuous behavior, but may I make some small alterations?" At her agreeance, he nodded and bowed, apologizing briefly. Despite the impressive size of the metallic cannon, Mathis easily snapped through the middle of it with a simple downward movement of his left hand. "The material in the center is flimsy. I suppose more accurate would be to say that the composition of the materials within is lackluster. I have demonstrated the ease that it can break with enough force. Be glad that you have learned this knowledge in a circumstance as this as opposed to the throes of battle. Of course, there is an easy fix." He tapped the middle of his hand twice in quick succession, and the dummy hovered over slowly. Fiddling with a number of the buttons hosted in the chest of the machine, quickly gathering what appeared to be a needle and thread. "At present, you are using magisteel. That is not the issue. Magisteel is strong in cases where one fights against those of lesser power. However, that is of the most common form of magisteel, what we in my homeland call 'Unwoven Magisteel.' As your machine runs purely off of mechanical means, as opposed to the magical integration many weapons from my home bear, I am unfortunately unable to bring Shifty to the heights of power, with a simple fix. Monado is a durable blade, though in the few moments where I have had the luxury of seeing within its inner workings, I have noticed a unique composition within the blade's architecture. The material itself is unknown, and the inner build of the material itself is in a strange form. The thinnest many are able to manipulate objects is to the nearest atom. However, whatever material Monado is made of seems to be thinner woven than that with each thread, yet it is stacked to the brim. The material is of an unknown origin as well. As for what I am doing to Shifty, at present I am bolstering the resistance the center has by weaving the Magisteel from an 'Unwoven' state to a 'Tempered Weave.' Without creating a weapon from scratch and meticulously weaving each inch, a 'Tempered Weave' is the greatest the smiths of my land have been able to create. It is not to the limits of the 'Royal Weave' or 'Aegis Weave,' but that is not to say 'Tempered' is of ill repute."
As he was explaining, he was laser-focused on the needle and thread, weaving each particle of metal to bend and shape to the whims of the artisan. The break slowly but surely mended, until it looked no different from before. To prove the strength of his ability, he quickly grabbed a nearby sword of lesser quality, as he had many times proven that Monado could strike even through Aegis Weave, and swung it fiercely at the metallic beast. The sword shattered into many pieces while Shifty remained unscathed.
"I must apologize if I speak at length. In my many years, I have grown a fascination with crafting and the art of weaponry. As I can tell, Shifty uses a Core-7 Ethernano Converter. While it would be ideal to improve to a Core-8 or Core-10, a Core-7 is rare in my experience. For future use, be wary of Core-9 Ethernano Converters. The ninth core in many mass productions shifts by roughly four tenths of a nanometer each usage. In terms of raw power, this allows it to exhibit more strength than a Core-10, but it wears out much quicker. A Core-7 is generally a reliable sort as well, though there is a certain risk of overheating or a loss of energy. The Core-7 uses a diamond shape, while it is more efficient to use a pentagonal shape. I would not often recommend that others do this, but chipping away precisely at the converter allows for a more efficient collection of ethernano from the air. The power is unchanged, but the charge of the ranged capabilities is improved by a full tenth of a second."
Like with the thread, as he said this, he cracked open the port leading to the core of the machine, revealing the converter. Once more tapping on the dummy's chest, it revealed a paper-thin chisel, which Mathis slowly worked to chip away at the core, altering the shape ever so slightly until it finally reached a near-perfect pentagonal shape.
"As saddening as it is, perhaps the most important function of a weapon is the capabilities it has towards ending the life of a foe or incapacitating them for the battle. There are multiple ways to improve this, including magisteel weaving, though it is not the most effective form of improving damage output. The mechanism you have in place for the transfer of ethernano from the converter to the conduit is impressive, though a slight alteration can be made to the pathing. Merely moving this wire down four micrometers should improve the stability of the stored power. In terms of someone of your age crafting something with this much detail and precision is impressive, for certain, though someone of greater repute than I could certainly change this weapon from how powerful you have crafted it into a weapon of mythical repute. While the wiring is now more ideal, there is still the issue of the weapon itself. The conduit is a Bismarck-IV Hyperconductor, which is set for a design around loose energy firing. Bismarck-Class conduits are most often utilized at the end of the barrel of a weapon, while the design of Shifty is more adept for use with a railgun. If supplies were available, the Bismarck could be swapped for a Nobunaga-Class, likely a Nobunaga I.X., though Nobunaga-Class Conduits are rare. Bismarck-Classes, fortunately, are not difficult to synchronize with a railgun. Once more, weaving may be used to fix the rail, as would a change in material from Magisteel to, as my people have called it, 'Argentum,' though weaving is not ideal and Argentum is rare, even in my home. Rather, more ideal would be the adjustment to reduce the amount of drift the bursts carry. A quick shortening of three-and-a-half picometers on each rail, bringing the rails a total of seven picometers closer, is the first step. Of more import, however, is the reduction in temperature. Ensuring that the rails are perfectly level with their angle is the first thing to note, though it is a quick fix, yet there is but one more change to be made. Once the rails are level, coating them evenly with a substance my people have called 'Morythian Sap' stabilizes the temperature the energy bursts are fired from. Using a Khaganate-Class Conduit would merely reduce the spread of the weapons, as Khaganate-Class Conduits are designed for faster fire. Due to your using of a Bismarck-class Conduit, the reduction of temperature, rather than reduce drift after release from the rails, contains the ether within the rails, allowing more retention of energy before the moment of firing."
Still maintaining his focus on the weapon as opposed to the girl he was speaking to, he began to work away. As he opened the side plating of Shifty, he once more took the needle from the Weaving and shifted a wire a shorter distance than the eye could see. He then pulled a wrench out from the dummy, seemingly not moving his hand as he claimed to make his adjustment. Finally, he pulled a small jar out from the dummy's chest, rubbing the jelly-like substance along the insides of the cannon after briefly running his hand over each rail, stopping on occasion to shift and even out the rails towards their angle.
He handed the jar of Morythian Sap to Ella, saying, "In spite of the strange name, Morythian Sap is not a difficult material to acquire. A well-mixed combination of tree sap, bark, and magisteel heated in a forge for three-and-a-half hours creates the substance. I apologize that it is slightly difficult to get used to the proper timing, though it is easy upon routine. I as well apologize for the adjustments made to your weapon. You had said that you wished to perfect the weapon. Had I taken the path of the crafter as opposed to that of the warrior, I may have been able to fulfill that request. I humbly apologize."
He bowed at the waist, quickly showing an example of the new power Shifty held. Where the dummy once showed a damage score of 30 208, it now displayed a 90 503. Mathis explained that, as the dummy was designed for precision, the scores may vary slightly, though the combat capabilities would still be relatively unchanged. He apologized once more, bowing as he handed Shifty back to Ella.
WC: 1619
TWC: 2368
