Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 71 (Patreon)

After Rodrick left, Arwin got back to work. He re-heated and split the sheet of metal apart into workable pieces, then started to think on how he would form them into armor. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t done before, but there was one key difference.

Just like he had with Reya, he needed to make a set of armor specifically for Lillia. It would have to be lighter than the armor he’d made Reya, though. Lillia specifically wanted something that wouldn’t impede her movements.

Honestly, it sounds like she should really be in some form of leather, not metal. Unfortunately, I don’t know how the hell to work leather, so I’ll just have to make do with what I do have.

Arwin ran his hands over the metal sheets, trying to feel if any of them had desires that [Stonesinger] would pick up on. To his disappointment, there was no such luck. It wasn’t a surprise, though.

That’s fine. It would be weird if I got such an intense vision every single time I tried to craft anything.

“I’ll be more forthright, then,” Arwin told the sheets of metal. “Do you want to be a chest plate?”

He didn’t get a response. The metal seemed largely indifferent, but it definitely wanted to be something. It wasn’t exactly a resounding round of applause, but it was the best he had to work with at the time being.

Even if I can’t get Lillia the best set of armor to ever exist, even something would be better than nothing. Might as well get started with things and see where they take me. I’ve done all the diligence I can to hopefully make sure this is a high-quality piece, but something tells me it isn’t going to turn out any better than Average.

Arwin hefted Verdant Blaze and got to work shaping the armor. Hours slipped by as he worked, making the front and back of the chest piece separately and quenching the pieces once the metalwork was complete. He couldn’t finish anything yet, but he could definitely get it to the point where the only final touches would be the leather and the leather pieces and clasps.

As Arwin finished putting the last touches on the metal and looked up from his work for the first time since he’d started, he found a small stack of leather as well as a black knife resting on top of it – the knife that he’d made for Lillia.

Reya must have swung by at some point and dropped the leather he’d requested off while he was working without saying anything to disturb him. He gathered the supplies and got to cutting them into padding for the inside of the armor and straps to connect everything together.

Piece by piece, the armor came together. He worked the finishing touches in, adjusting and pinning the leather wherever appropriate. Arwin was still pretty sure that using metal pins to fasten the leather probably wasn’t the right way to go about things, but it worked and he didn’t know how else to do it.

When I get time, I’m going to go find another smith and see what they do for their armor.

But, for the time being, his current methods were the best that he was going to get. As Arwin grew closer to finishing, the Mesh gathered in the armor and tickled his fingertips. He raised his hands, excitement building in his chest as the Mesh flowed and his hammer hummed as it was fed energy from a successful creation.

[Brightsteel Armor: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.

Brightsteel Armor: Average Quality

[Durable]: This item is harder to damage through mundane means.

[Brittle]: This item has a chance of shattering on every blow. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the item will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion.

Arwin’s excitement deflated and his hands dropped. A curse slipped from his mouth as he stared at the offending detrimental quality that made the armor completely worthless. The last thing anyone needed was a set of armor that blew up when they got hit.

“Damn it,” Arwin cursed. He really didn’t have that much metal to work with, so losing an entire chest plate to something like this was a serious blow. He couldn’t even stick it back into the fire and try to rework it – Brittle could end up blowing up the hearth.

I suppose I could transfer the magic out of this and into a smaller item, then scrap this armor and try again. I don’t know how good constant reworking is going to be for the armor, though. At some point, I feel like the metal isn’t going to be what it once was.

Arwin let himself stare at the failed chest piece for exactly one minute. Then, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly to re-focus, Arwin set the armor down in the corner of the building.

He walked over to the remaining scrap and took some more of it, bringing it to the hearth and setting it in the [Soul Flame]. There wasn’t any time to feel self-pity or annoyance at his failure. The only thing he could do was keep working until he got something that Lillia could use.

Besides, that armor wasn’t any lighter than anything I normally make. Lillia specifically wanted something light, so I would have to make something else anyway. I wish I had a good way to actually select the enchantments my armor gets, but right now, that doesn’t seem to be possible.

It feels like the Mesh tends to give me something along the lines of what I’m going for, but that’s more inaccuracy. Just accepting what I get is a great way to get stuck only making Unique items and never being able to guarantee exactly what I need.

And thus, Arwin got back to work. There wasn’t anything else he could do, and sitting around waiting certainly wasn’t going to fix any problems. He set about making a second set of armor, but not in the same manner.

Arwin focused his thoughts on trying to make something lighter – something specifically for Lillia. He’d done it for Reya, although to a lesser degree of intention. He didn’t just need something that would fit onto Lillia. He needed something that was made for her.

Maybe I need to adjust the design a bit more. Focus on defending vital areas, while leaving the other ones with thinner defenses. That would take some weight off the armor, even if it doesn’t end up getting the enchantments I’m hoping for.

And that was Arwin did. The day swept by, turning to night and then day once more. He focused entirely on his work, rebuilding a chest piece from the ground up. He didn’t stop for long enough to notice anyone coming and going, but a mug of water and a small metal plate of food showed up several times throughout his work, disappearing after he’d eaten everything.

Arwin took his time on this piece, not letting himself rush to complete it or skip by any steps. He did everything as intentionally as he could, double checking his work and making minor adjustments that probably weren’t even necessary. He let his class guide his hammer, but he also tried to make a few changes of his own.

As he continued to work, a slow pain built in Arwin’s stomach. He took a break, breathing heavily from the mixture of hot air and exhaustion, and wiped his brow with a frown. He was pretty sure it hadn’t been that long since he’d last eaten anything magical.

Not wanting to waste all the metal from a whole chest piece, Arwin took some other metal and fashioned it into a bracelet, then used his [Soul Flame] to take the magical properties from the armor and put them onto the bracelet.

His reward was an Average Quality bracelet, but Verdant Blaze didn’t even recognize its formation. It wasn’t a bad bracelet, but Arwin got the sinking suspicion that Awakened weapons worked the same way that people did.

If it didn’t have at least some degree of challenge in forging something, the weapon wouldn’t grow stronger. It only cared about improving. Given how the Mesh worked, that really wasn’t all that much of a surprise, but it was still a mild annoyance.

Arwin bit into the bracelet, making a mental note to avoid getting hit anytime in the near future. He really didn’t want to find out what [Brittle] would do to him if he got smacked. The pain in his stomach receded as [The Hungering Maw] accepted his sacrifice.

Arwin’s stomach relaxed and the pain abated, though it didn’t leave as fast as it had before. Something told him it wouldn’t be long before [The Hungering Maw] started to demand even more from him.

Heaving a sigh, Arwin lifted the armor he’d been working on and held it up to the light of the [Soul Flame]. It was certainly moving in a different direction from the previous chest piece he’d made.

It was thin and sleek, with so little metal in some portions that he was a little worried it would be too thin. All the vital areas had extra layers hammered in over them, giving the armor rippling waves like it was an sculpt of the ocean. It was nearly finished and was only awaiting the final touches before the Mesh could enter it.

Are my changes actually going to make this better? Or is it just arrogance that I know better than the Mesh? I feel like trying to improve myself is the right strategy. There’s no way the Mesh would give me a class where I just sit and follow directions. Creating something is about doing it yourself.

But, at the same time, am I just ignoring what the metal actually wants to be?

Arwin set the armor back down and sighed. There was no answer waiting for him beyond the one that he would find when he finished the piece. He would have much preferred to have been doing this under different circumstances, but nobody could ever choose the hand the world dealt to them. The only thing anyone could ever truly have control over was the way they played their cards.

Arwin turned away from the anvil, hoping that someone had refilled his water mug again, only to find that he wasn’t alone in the room. Lillia sat against the back wall, watching him work silently. His heart nearly jumped out of his throat and Arwin coughed into his fist to hide his shock.

“I didn’t realize you were there.”

“You really get into a flow state, don’t you?” Lillia asked with a small laugh. “I’ve been here for at least an hour.”

“Hiding?” Arwin asked hopefully.

“Not even slightly. Just walked right in and sat down.” Lillia shifted and stood up, brushing the dust off her backside off as she walked over to look at what Arwin had been working on. “It’s pretty.”

“You should have seen the first one.”

“There was another?”

“It got eaten,” Arwin said as he tapped a finger against his skin, trying to see if the effects of [Brittle] still remained. He didn’t feel particularly explosive. “The enchantments on it were wrong.”

“You can’t control them either, huh?” Lillia asked.

“Either?” Arwin blinked. “I didn’t realize you had more than just straight buffs from your class.”

“Eh. They kind of vary, but they change day to day based on the food I’ve made and the people in the tavern,” Lillia said. “I haven’t really figured out what the metrics are, though. I thought it would be directly related to how good my food was, but I’ve gotten some shit buffs when I’ve made some of my best dishes. At least, I thought they were my best. I don’t know. It feels like I’m trying to decode a message without a cypher.”

“Tell me about it,” Arwin said. “Do you at least like the direction this is going? If not, I’d rather get started again now than make another mistake.”

“It looks beautiful,” Lillia said. “As nice as a lot of the armor I wore before the explosion. Maybe nicer than some. I can see you really worked on trying to keep it lighter.”

“Not sure if it’ll work, but I’ve been trying,” Arwin said. “Did you come because you wanted to help? Or were you just watching?”

“A bit of both,” Lillia admitted.

“Well, now that you’re here, might as well try this on and let me know if it fits and if there’s anything that doesn’t sit right with you,” Arwin said, holding the armor out. “It’s not magical yet, so it shouldn’t blow you up.”

“Shouldn’t?” Lillia raised an eyebrow. “Why would armor blow me up?”

“Long story. Just put it on.”