Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Thanks to the blueprint he also knew exactly how much material he would need. This was important, because Seth intended to meld the elemental soul into the material, before he forged it into the frame.

This was how he originally revived the Faer or Evee's brother. Only by infusing the soul into every part, could the frame take the place of what would originally have been the skeleton from which a body could then regenerate given enough mana.

However, again Ceres was a special case, as there was no guarantee for it to grow into a living being of flesh and blood. That was why its body started off close to that of an automaton. Seth only infused the greatest part of the soul into the <Adamantium> and <Ithildin> that were used to create this mechanical body.

But how would this hunk of metal fly? The answer lay in the song of storm and lightning that was wreaking havoc in the workshop. <Voice of Seth> showed a special affinity with these kinds of ballads.

The effects described for this ballad entailed lightning damage, wind affinity, and the ability of flight.

He was <Channeling> the demon Furfur who was able to bring storm and lightning. The image that came to his mind when establishing the connection was that of terrifying winged deer, with demonic tusks like that of a boar.

Its piercing blood-red eye seemed to look into his soul and read his intention. He didn't know whether it was because of his improvement in skills or the affinity between the storm-attributes and the <Voice of Seth>, but the connection felt clearer than ever before.

The flame of his forge roared in the wind.

~Hmm. You are a sinner.~ he heard a rough and hoarse voice.

His heart jumped in shock, this was the first time he could hear the voice of a demon deity, but what did it mean with him being a sinner... Did that mean it would not offer its assistance?

~The price is not enough.~ it explained, reading his confused thoughts.

Seth understood immediately. Even if he was a sinner, demons were not pious themselves. He could just bribe them. All it needed was a skill, he had not often used in the past, <Soul Trade>. Only after paying the price of several souls did he feel a wave of satisfaction being transferred to him.

Now he could continue working. Chanting the tune that summoned a whirlwind in his workshop, and channeling the power of the demon, Seth melded the soul of Ceres into the metals and began shaping the parts for the body.

It didn't take long for Seth to forge the overall structure. Soon a mechanical bird the size of an adult was sitting on his workbench. At first, the beak of the terror bird was too big, but the blacksmith managed to condense it and slightly change its shape, making it look even more menacing.

Lastly, he split the rest of the soul into many thin threads that were infused into the feathers that would the grafted onto the surface at a later time.

With the basics done, he could finally end the ballad. Wiping away the sweat he took a break and got something to drink for his parched throat. He also needed some time to calm down as the surprisingly deep connection with the demon had left quite an impact on him. It was also the first time and demon technically denied him assistance.

Maybe he would look into it a bit closer at a later point in time.

After finishing his break, he started taking the bird apart again. Now came the tedious part of this build. He made wire from the ensouled <Ithildin> and started cutting the grooves for the inlays. It was a very minute and meticulous work to cover the frame with inlays.

He worked until late in the evening and was still not done with everything. However, Seth did not intend to spend all night in the workshop. Something he had realized some time ago was, that forcing things only led to worse results.

Working through the night, as he got tired and less focused would only have negative effects on the result, even if he used potions to stay awake. Changing into his normal attire, he put away the magnifying spectacles, Wraithguard, and other tools. Tired he went to join Mina in their bed for a good night's sleep.

Despite him hankering to continue, he did not start the next morning by rushing to the workshop and finishing Ceres. Something else got in his way. Another message from the system church reached him during breakfast with Fin, Mina, and the others.

The armors had arrived and Seth personally went to get his hand on the armors. He had just arrived at the teleport hub when a man in robes approached the blacksmith.

"Tower Master Smith? I'm Akolyte Mane, I bring your armors on the order of Mike Baker," he said with a respectful bow.

"Oh, he specifically sent an Acolyte?" Seth exclaimed in surprise.

"That is just how important the cargo is," Mane answered with a smile.

There were several ways to trade via the pathworks with the help of the system church. The cheapest was to simply send the goods and have someone pick them up, like Polter did. Sending an Acolyte of the church was a premium service, that sent a staff member carrying the goods in their inventory.

After they entered a private room, the Acolyte proceeded to bring out 20 boxes of armor sets from his inventory.

"Please check the goods," he said with a trained business smile.

Set opened the boxes filled with futuristic-looking armor plates and suits made of a synthetic mesh. It was the blacksmith's first chance to have a good look at this material.

Polyarkanate, as the name implied, it was a mix of modern technology and magic.

It was a synthetic material with a look similar to the <Fire Glass> his Wyvern Cuirass was made of. Like an opaque, forged crystal with a slight blue hue. Using his <Blacksmith's Eyes> he did not only see the stats of the armor but also got a new entry in his material catalog.

<Polyarkanate, Crafting Material, Rare,

A material synthesized using a complicated process. The crystalline material has a high affinity to magic but excels in its physical toughness and resistance to impacts and corrosion.>

<Polyarkanate Breastplate

Polyarkanate Set:1/6

Rare

Phys. Def.: 800

Mag. Def.: 800

Durability: 2500

1. +15% Additional Resistance to Impacts

2. +15% Additional Resistance to Magic

3. Passive Skill: Turtle Shell

A mass-produced armor piece created in Y-City on Urth in a standardized size for human use. Lacking in enchantments or craftsmanship, it relies on the properties of the specifically engineered material Polyarkanate.

Set Effect 6/6:

+25% overall defense.

Active Skill: Turtle Armor>

Although the material was intriguing, the armors were a little lacking in performance. They were good for armors made only relying on the material properties, but compared to their potential, the armors were not perfect.

They were purely specialized for defense, as seen in the two skills they could offer the wearer. Turtle Shell would increase the defense by 50% at a cost of 350 mana per minute. Turtle Armor would triple the defense for 1 second and cost 1000 mana.

Seth frowned as these costs were beyond measure. This was the consequence of making items without production skills and leaving everything up to the materials. The effects were terribly inefficient and needed huge amounts of energy to show some sort of effect.

However, he didn't have the time, nor the will to further improve on Y-Cities design. These would suffice for their intended use. It was okay that they were dedicated for defense, as the golems would wear the weapons of Minas Mar and grow over time.

Together with the armors also came black suits that looked like they were made of carbon fiber mesh, that had a similar function to a gambeson or a chain mail, to add a second layer of protection and cover the gaps between the armor plates.

The mesh was also <Polyarkanate>.

<Polyarkanate D, Crafting Material, Rare,

A material synthesized using a complicated process. The fibrous material has a low affinity to magic but excels in its physical toughness and resistance to corrosion.>

<Polyarkanate Suit

Rare

Phys. Def.: 300

Mag. Def.: 300

Durability: 1500

1. +25% Additional Resistance to Magic

2. Impervious to Corrosion

A mass-produced full-body suit created in Y-City on Urth in a standardized size for human use. Lacking in enchantments or craftsmanship, it relies on the properties of the specifically engineered material Polyarkanate D.>

This one really surprised him. The suit could not only add some additional defense and magic attack power but also offered an effect similar to his own. The item could not be affected by corrosion damage similar to many of Seth's items being immune to fire.

It brought up a serious question: What was Y-City fighting that relied on corrosion, for their standard armor to be especially impervious to it? Seth had not spent a long time in Y-City and didn't have the interest to get really involved...

But if it was a common threat he would have definitely heard of this.

"...Is it all to your satisfaction?" the Acolyte asked with a slightly strained face.

"Oh! Oh, yes, It's fine." Seth hurriedly answered. It seemed that he had been spacing out.

Seth packed away the boxes, bid Mane goodbye, and returned back to Minas Mar with the 200 armors in his inventory. Now, he had everything to finish the golems.