Rise of the Living Forge - Chapters 129-130 (Patreon)

The following morning came sooner than it was welcome to. Lillia, albeit reluctantly, kept to her promise of getting to work early. Arwin did the same. They headed out of her room and into the common area when the sun had still yet to complete its journey above the horizon.

Arwin wasted no time in heading out to his smithy to get back to work. He had too much he wanted to do to sit around and wait, no matter how comforting the embrace of darkness was. As soon as he arrived, he tossed an orb of [Soul Flame] into the hearth.

He had a fair amount of Brightsteel to work with along with some scraps from his work with the Ivorin in addition to the Maristeel and all the monster parts they’d taken out of the dungeon.

If I’m making Rodrick some good armor, I might as well go all out. Maristeel it is. I’ve still got some cleaned Maristeel from the bow, so I’ll use that for the areas that are most likely to get hit. Blue and silver go well together anyway.

Arwin gathered the metal he needed and set it into the hearth to heat. He then leaned against his anvil and drummed his fingers against his leg as he thought. After all the time he and Rodrick had spent fighting together, he still couldn’t place a particular fighting style for the other man.

It didn’t seem like Rodrick favored anything in particular. He wasn’t overly fast, nor was he slow. He wasn’t someone who sat in the front and took every single hit, but he didn’t shy away from getting hit when the time called for it either.

In summary, he was a fighter that sat perfectly in the middle of the road. Arwin’s frown grew deeper. There was nothing wrong with that, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Rodrick had become such a fighter out of choice or if it had been because he’d Fallen and lost access to advancing his paladin abilities.

Every paladin I’ve ever met was always the sort to stick themselves in the frontline and draw as much attention as possible. They usually weren’t the fastest fighters because their abilities let them hold ground and heal themselves from the worst attacks.

Rodrick definitely fights as if he’s protecting others, but none of his abilities lend themselves to it anymore. I shouldn’t just build him something that lets him continue as he is now. The armor I make should bring out the best in people – it should let them fight the way they really want to fight.

A shape started to take form in Arwin’s mind. Plate greaves, similar to his, but a little lighter to allow faster movement. Rodrick didn’t have a good way to get around and couldn’t banish his armor like Arwin could. It was important for him to be able to move quickly.

Arwin took the Brightsteel from the forge and laid it out on his anvil. He summoned [Verdant Blaze] and got to work hammering it out into a flat plate. His mind swirled with thought as his body worked on its own.

If there was one thing he’d gotten good at with his very questionable smithing practices, it was hammering a piece of metal out into a flat plate. With the aid of the [Soul Flame] bursting from every strike, it wasn’t long before Arwin had the Brightsteel workable and ready for him.

He brushed the last of the black flakes away from the metal, then split it out into segments before setting the majority of them to the side and picking up the largest.

“Well?” Arwin asked, holding up the still-warm metal. “Greaves. How bout it?”

The metal seemed to be fine with it. There wasn’t much else to say. Brightsteel wasn’t the most communicative of the materials that Arwin had worked with before. It was pretty impassive about almost everything for the most part, which made it great to work with.

He nodded to himself and set the piece aside before picking up the next one. He went through all the pieces he’d need for the metal, splitting them into two piles. The larger one was more than happy to be made into a pair of greaves, while the considerably smaller one seemed more interested in being a weapon.

Arwin was pretty sure he could have convinced them to be something else. He didn’t bother – it wouldn’t be long before he’d need a sword anyway. There was no reason to spend effort making the metal change its mind when he had more than enough to work with right now.

He moved the Brightsteel out of the way and turned back to the heating piece of Maristeel. He was pretty sure that there was enough there to make all the additions to the greaves that he wanted to.

I won’t actually need all that much Maristeel since I’m mostly using it to highlight and reinforce key areas than I am to make giant plates. I’ve got to be a bit conservative with it because I have no clue when I’m going to get more of this stuff. Just a little will go a very long way, though.

Arwin picked up the heated Maristeel. He tapped a finger on its warm, glowing golden surface. “So? What about you? Greaves sound good?”

The blue metal was slower to respond than the Brighsteel was, but the feeling that it gave him was complete agreement. It was just as grateful to be used for greaves as it had been to be used for a bow. The chance to be anything other than rotting on the corpse of a monster was like gold to it.

I wonder of metal understands the concept of money. Would it be weird to think about how some metal is more valuable than other metal, or that most people trade specifically with one type of metal?

Actually, for that matter, what would money want to be? I almost want to ask a gold coin what it would want to become. I’d feel bad if I couldn’t actually make it, though. What if it wants to be a giant golden statue of a hamster or something like that? It would cost way too much.

One day, maybe.

Arwin put the Maristeel back at the edge of the hearth to keep it warm, then rewarmed the Brightsteel before getting to work on the first piece. The Mesh shimmered across the metal, guiding his hammer strikes and helping him form it.

It was far from the first piece of armor that he’d made for Rodrick, so it came rather easily to him. The Mesh’s help only made things go even faster. He followed many of its suggestions, only deviating in the parts where he planned to add in the Maristeel.

As far as he could tell, the Mesh didn’t account for the other materials he had waiting around in most situations. It only considered the ones he was currently working with.

I wonder if that’s why relying completely on it results in Unique items more often than not.

Now wasn’t the time to test that particular theory. Whether it was true or not, he’d already determined that the most effective way to make anything was a partnership with the Mesh rather than complete reliance.

Hours slipped by as they always did. The ring of Verdant Blaze against metal echoed through the house as a pair of greaves steadily took shape beneath Arwin’s steady hands. He set the individual pieces to the side as he made them, going through his Brightsteel relatively quickly.

Once he’d made the rough shapes of all the parts he needed to, Arwin brushed the anvil off and headed over to the hearth to retrieve the Maristeel. He split it into several parts and got back to work.

He first made the kneecaps, working entirely with Maristeel to make sure the joints would be as protected as possible. Blows to the kneecaps were some of the most dangerous because of how they could cripple a warrior, so making them from a tougher metal was a no-brainer.

That didn’t take too long. The Maristeel wasn’t as easy to work with as Brightsteel, but Arwin still made good time on it. Once the caps were complete, Arwin set them aside and drew in a deep breath.

Now came the harder part. He collected one of the upper-thigh pieces of Brightsteel and set it down beside a thin piece of Maristeel, chewing his lower lip in thought. He needed to merge the two pieces of metal together to make a line that ran through the side of the metal that would help stop any slashing blows from cutting through the Brightsteel too easily.

Whelp. Easiest way probably can’t hurt. I can’t imagine this is the proper way to handle things, but [Soul Flame] is great at combining stuff pretty effectively. It’s worked before, so I can’t see why it wouldn’t work now.

Arwin set the Brightsteel into the hearth and heated it, then used [Scourge] to empower his fingers and pull it apart down the middle. He kept as much of the original shape as possible, but still had to spend a few minutes hammering it back out to smoothen everything again.

Once the two halves were prepared, Arwin formed the Maristeel into an odd T-shape, leaving the top of the T thin. The branch running down from it was considerably thicker and was just as long as the width of the Brightsteel.

He then laid everything on top of each other, sliding the pieces of Brightsteel in on either side of the branch and leaving the head of the T showing on the outside of the armor. Arwin got to work striking the metal with Verdant Blaze, using the [Soul Flame] that poured from its head to weld the metal together temporarily.

It wasn’t the strongest bond, but he was far from done. Once the metal was stuck and as merged as two different pieces of metal were going to get, he made several pins out of Maristeel. He poked tiny holes through the newly-bonded metal, then pushed the bolts through them with help from [Scourge].

Picking Verdant Blaze up once more, he got to work hammering everything out to make it as smooth as possible before bringing the piece over to the oil barrel and dunking it in. Flame rolled up with a loud hiss, but he ignored it and pulled the section of the greaves out once the fire had receded.

He cleaned it off, then studied the fruits of his labor. A rippling line of blue ran down the outside of the armor like a wave. The seam between it and the Brightsteel was almost nonexistent. Arwin grinned to himself.

He still had the rest of the armor to repeat the process with, and that was exactly what he did. Everything was considerably faster now that he knew what to do. Unfortunately, considerably was a relative term.

By the time Arwin had finished melding the Maristeel and the Brightsteel to form a single pair of nearly complete greaves, much of the day had already passed and night was already at his doorstep.

That only made him work faster. The metalwork was done, but he still needed to add some padding on the inside. Arwin took leather from his nearly depleted supplies, making a mental note to ask Reya to get him some more, then got to work pinning it into place. His mind was split between the actual work and the greaves’ eventual purpose and owner. It wasn’t enough for them to be good or effective. They had to be right for Rodrick.

The Mesh gathered at his fingertips. It had been present throughout almost all of the process, but it grew stronger with every move he made. The humming energy could sese that he’d nearly completed his work. It wanted to see the final result just as much as he did.

Finally, Arwin pinned the last piece of leather into place. He released the greaves and set them down as power flooded out of his hands and into the metal, preparing for the Mesh to burst forth and reward him for his work.

Instead, a different power met his mind. What felt like a freezing cold wave slammed into Arwin’s spine and he drew in a sharp breath as power swirled around the greaves and flooded – not out of him, but in.

A vision swirled at the edges of Arwin’s eyes and he dropped to the ground, sitting before he could fall over.

The greaves were trying to awaken, and he could already tell they weren’t nearly as receptive to his goal as the metal had initially been.

“Pick up an attitude while I was forging you, did you?” Arwin asked, gritting his teeth. “Let’s see what you’ve got to say.”

He threw himself into the vision and the world went white.

Chapter 130

Arwin stood on an outcropping of rocks in the center of a churning river. Water crashed against the small shore of his island and sprayed up, peppering against his skin. The roar of the water was loud enough to drown out any other noise that may have been there, but there was no need.

Nothing existed beyond the river. An expanse of black stretched out around him, starting right at the edges of the riverbank. It ran as far as the eye could see. Arwin had no idea where the light illuminating him and the flowing river in its faint golden glow was coming from, but there was no sun to be seen.

As it had been with both the bow and his helm, there were no words or direct requests in the vison. But, unlike the others, the exact desires of the greaves felt muted and distant. There wasn’t direct opposition or acceptance of Arwin’s desires in themselves. It was more like the greaves were trying to resist influence of any sort.

The flowing river intensified, soaking Arwin’s clothes through with water. He squinted and held his hands up to protect his face as waves slammed into his small island. They poured over the rocks, carrying with them a deep chill that sought to penetrate to his core.

He stood firm. There wasn’t any argument to be had with the river. It wasn’t looking to be convinced. Arwin suspected it didn’t have enough awareness to truly want one thing or another – it simply didn’t want to be controlled.

The waves slammed into him and the island with increasing intensity. They grew to rise nearly three feet into the air and drove into him like charging bulls, banishing what few dry spots remained on his clothes.

Arwin staggered from the force of the waves. [Scourge] and [Indomitable Bulwark] did nothing for him within the confines of his own mind, but he didn’t care. He didn’t need magic to stand against a small river.

“You can keep trying, but I’m not going anywhere,” Arwin declared. The river’s response was to crash a wave down straight on top of him, filling his mouth with ice-cold water. He sputtered and let out a curse as it nearly knocked him from his feet.

And still he held firm. Even as the ground grew slick and tenuous beneath his feet, Arwin refused to budge an inch. He held his hands out, water rolling down his fingertips and dripping to the ground beneath him, and beckoned to the darkness. “Come on. Is that all you’ve got? I’m not going anywhere if you use pathetic waves like that.”

The waves pulled back and the water started to still, its frothing white caps turning to placid blue as the water level receded. Arwin wiped the water from his face and lowered his hands. The vision hadn’t faded yet, so the fight wasn’t done.

Something formed on the horizon. A patch of dark blue in the sea of black. It approached rapidly, growing in size as it grew nearer A wave, easily ten feet high and growing. A laugh slipped out of Arwin’s mouth.

He raised his hands once more and faced the wave front on as he squared his stance. The wave grew taller still, white foam churning and bubbling at its top as it loomed above him, still for just a brief instant.

The wave broke. It crashed down on top of Arwin with the force of a falling building. It slammed into his shoulders, trying to drive him to his knees instead of throw him from the rocky platform.

Arwin’s legs trembled and water forced its way into his lungs. He couldn’t tell which way was up, but he could just barely feel the stone beneath his feet. The world had turned into a blur of churning white and endless blue, but he stood strong.

He spoke though his mouth couldn’t form any words in the water. The words he spoke were a challenge heard only by the crashing river enveloping Arwin. It rushed in his ears in response, trying to pull him away from the island.

It failed. The river receded and his head broke free from its depths.  Water poured down his face in rivulets. He drew in a ragged breath – and the vision vanished.

Arwin’s eyes snapped open in his makeshift smithy. He was as dry as he’d been before the vision had started. No traces of the river remained, but the greaves resting on the anvil in front of him were positively glittering with the Mesh.

Golden letters bloomed before him as the Mesh finally acknowledged the day’s work.

[Ripple Greaves: Rare Quality] have been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.

Achievement: [Wake] has been earned.

[Wake] has been consumed.

[Wake] – Awarded for facing a vision and completely overcoming its desires with your own willpower for the first time. Effects: Your item has Awoken and will instantly bond to its first wearer.  Its hidden property has been revealed.

Arwin grinned and peered closer at the new piece of armor he’d made, the excitement in his stomach building. That was quite the reward. Rodrick was going to be thrilled – and he might have a pair of pants that would actually survive a fight.

I suppose the bow didn’t count as completely overcoming the vision because it still hasn’t accepted me as master. Speaking of which, I’m stringing it the moment I’m done with these greaves… but right now, I want to see what I’ve made.

He dismissed the Mesh’s initial messages and examined the newly made greaves. Motes of glowing light fluttered forth like dancing fireflies as they formed into words and revealed the final results of his work.

Ripple Greaves: Rare Quality

[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. The echoes of a vast flowing river churn through it and empower their wearer. They will permanently bond to the first person to equip them.

[Flowing Steps]: Move like the flowing river in defense of your allies. Activating this ability causes this item’s wielder to spend magical energy in order to move faster toward other living beings that consider them an ally.

[Crashing Wave] (Locked): Bring down the might of the churning river into a single blow. Use magical energy to draw in moisture from your surroundings before unleashing it in a strike. This ability is more effective when more liquid is present in the nearby environment.

[Ripple Armor]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is worn, [Crashing Wave] will be unlocked.

Arwin dismissed the information and let out a slow breath. He leaned against the anvil as he read over the Ripple Greaves’ stats. The item had turned out brilliantly. It didn’t even have any detrimental stats and the set ability looked quite powerful, though he’d have to see it in action before he could make any decisions.

He stuffed the greaves into the bag that he’d brought the crafting materials to the smithy in, wrapping it up so nobody would see them on accident. The one drawback of not being a Unique item was that it didn’t have a free way to conceal itself.

I can’t quite remember what level in Apprentice we first get the ability to conceal our information. I blazed through all of Apprentice Tier when I was the Hero so quickly that they’re basically all a blur to me. Maybe it was six or seven?

For the time being, Rodrick would just have to wear thick pants over the greaves or find another way to conceal them from prying eyes. They were more than worth the effort. Arwin mentally shifted making a set of plate armor for Rodrick up on his list. Finishing the set would be a lot more useful than making him a weapon.

He put the bagged greaves down and extended his hand, summoning the bow to it. The weapon materialized in his grip, the cool surface of the crystal prickling against his palm. Energy crackled within its deep green depths, waiting to be used.

Arwin hesitated for a moment. It was a little concerning that the deadly crystal had this much fight left in it, but the energy didn’t feel the same as what he’d felt in the vision. It was similar, but the crystal had been changed by the Mesh and the forging process.

It still hungered, but its hungers aligned with his. At least, he was pretty sure they did. It was hard to tell if he was just trying to convince himself that the weapon was safe. No matter what, it was his best lead on ways to getting [The Hungering Maw] under control.

I need it to work… but I won’t sacrifice anyone else if this thing is really as dangerous as it used to be. I’ll have to get to know it better before I try using it. That starts by stringing it and seeing if that changes much. I need to measure how long the string has to be so I can tie the knot in the right spots.

Arwin took the rolled up ball of spider silk out and straightened it out before tying it around the bottom arm of the bow securely. He then tied an open knot on the other side of the string and stepped over the bow, bracing it against his left thigh. [Scourge] pulsed through his body as he twisted, bending the bow over himself.

Even with [Scourge], the metal fought valiantly. He didn’t dare push too hard in fears of somehow snapping the bow, but his fears proved unfounded. It held strong while he looped the other end of the string over the top arm and carefully unbent himself.

The bow hummed in his hands as the string drew taut. It had been a little longer than it had needed to be, but all the extra length had vanished and the string now appeared to be perfectly sized.

Did the bow just eat the excess string?

Arwin hoisted it, letting the Mesh filter through the air and identify the weapon to see if anything had changed with the addition of his new bowstring.

Prism’s Reach: Unique Quality

[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes, it will grow slightly more powerful. Upon reaching [Unknown] threshold, it will be able to bond with its wielder.

[Power for Power]: Prism’s Reach can only be drawn when infused with magical energy from its Wielder. A portion of the spent energy will be transferred into its shots.

[Corrupted Shot]: Arrows fired by Prism’s Reach will infest their target with crystal upon impact, consuming any uncontested magic whenever possible.

[Immense Hunger]: Prism’s Reach can absorb magical energy from its wielder in exchange for empowering its next shot. The amount of magical energy it draws will increase exponentially with the amount of time it spends drawn. Overfeeding Prism’s Reach may modify its attributes temporarily.

[Strung]: Prism’s Reach has been strung with a spider silk string.

[Unique]: This item has formed a treaty with Arwin Tyrr. It has not acknowledge him as owner, but it will obey his commands until deciding if he is worthy of its service or not. Information about this item may be hidden from others.

[The Left Arm]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is used, a concealed property will be unlocked.

The change was minimal, but the bow had acknowledged the string. That meant, at least as far as he could tell, it was operational. He just needed an arrow to test it with and something to protect his left arm so he didn’t carve it in half if the string slapped into it.

If it’s really properly strung, then I shouldn’t be able to draw it at all without [Scourge].

Arwin gave the string a pull. It didn’t even budge. It was like trying to move a steel bar. He pulled harder, but the result was the same. The string was completely lodged in place. Evidently the Mesh hadn’t been lying about the bow being impossible to draw without magical enhancement.

He dismissed the weapon, sending it back to wherever it was that [Arsenal] stored his equipment. At the bare minimum, he was going to need gauntlets before he tried to test the weapon out.

Rodrick’s gear comes first. Making myself an arrow or gauntlets isn’t going to advance my understanding of [The Hungering Maw], and given how often he gets hit, I need to make sure he doesn’t get killed.

Arwin picked up the packaged greaves and tucked them under his arm. His work for tonight was done – but he was already looking forward to the sunrise.