Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

This was the real curse of great materials. He felt incredibly apprehensive about just starting and wanted to plan every step beforehand.

He started off by thoroughly investigating the effects of the materials. Although <Blacksmith's Eyes> could give him a catalog entry at first glance, but he could gather more specific information with a closer investigation.

The dragon scales were a rather obvious matter. Testing with them using the <Blueprint> skill he was able to predict their abilities. Aside from their impressive sturdiness, they were able to negate 85% of incoming magical damage.

It was said that Dragons were immune to magic, however, Seth guessed that there might be a specific skill needed for full immunity or they had been corroded by time. The blacksmith was sure there was more, but the other abilities couldn't be calculated by the skill.

Next, he investigated the scorpion shell. Its inherent capabilities were Agility, Earth Affinity, and negating weapon damage. In addition, it was filled with demonic power and the blessing of Apollo which were in a fragile balance.

The former was straightforward, it lend the effect to improving demonic skills and darkness affinity.

Apollo's power on the other hand was rather ambiguous. With Sunlight, Archery, Poetry, Healing, and Music the Olympian god had many domains. Since all of them were present in the power that inhibited the carapace, they mixed without giving a specific effect.

He realized that if he wanted to tap into the power of Apollo's blessing he would have to add enchantments to the items or use materials to break the equilibrium with the demonic energy and give a medium for a specific domain of Apollo's power to sow itself.

Maybe he could use specific souls to trigger one of the powers to step forward. He still had Gleobem's soul, but it seem a little bit of a waste to use his ego Soul for this. Seth found the idea of putting him into his own flute and using him like Oz very enticing.

In general, Seth was averse to using special Souls, as he wanted to use this chance to implement some more of the Olympian blessing. He had unlocked quite a lot of them since his skills kept leveling up and they only needed the raw power of the souls, not special properties. It was a shame that most of them were more fit to be used on weapons, than on armor.

As for the souls he would use since he had spent most of his ordinary souls in the beyond, his only backup plan was the fragments of the 24th Ethnarch. However, first Seth wanted to give soul trading a try and pay a visit to the demon district. He could still come back to the fragments if that didn't work.

The blacksmith created a few blueprints using his skill, but they still lacked any designs for enchantments. Another thing he added to his to-do list, before starting the real work was visiting Al'Zalsar and getting her advice.

With a rough plan in mind, Seth got up and summoned the smithy. The first point on his list to make his new armor was to make a preparatory piece of armor.

There was one special enchantment that was unlocked with lv.6 Craftsman and it was perfect to create a counterpart to the Wraithguard. The Blessing of Hephaestus, which would obviously improve his skills as a blacksmith and their effects.

One gauntlet for the body, one gauntlet for the soul. It was quite fitting.

The reason Seth had not done so earlier was because he still lacked a soul to fully complete it. But if he really wanted to start with his new armor, this was an indispensable item. He still had hopes for <Soul Trade>. If he really found one or several soul traders, he might be able to purchase a fitting soul and finish the gauntlet before starting on the armor.

But for now, he could only make the item itself.

Seth didn't worry much about the design, since he wanted it to be a pair with the Wraithguard he simply adopted the design Forgebrand's work. The only difference was that he did intend to use <Olympian Silver> for his own creation.

The blacksmith didn't bother using a demonic ballad on the gauntlet, as he intended to use the god's blessing on the gauntlet itself and not the soul. It would overwrite everything anyways. Instead, he concentrated on perfect form and finish.

Aside from the <Olympian Silver> he also used some Minotaur leather for the inner glove, to see if he could gain the skill effects with it.

After several hours of meticulous work at the anvil, he held a finished silver gauntlet in his hands. It looked pristine and a perfect copy of Wraithguard, but for the right instead of the left hand. He brought the gauntlet to a work table where Seth brought out his engraving tool.

The sigil of the God of Craftsman resembled predictably a heavily stylized hammer and anvil. Setting the engraver on the back of the gauntlet, he suddenly felt a benevolent gaze on his back. It had been a while since he experienced this, but he had to admit that it was a lot more pleasant than channeling a demon god.

Under the watchful gaze of one of his patron gods, Seth became hyper-focused as he carefully carved the sigil into the epic silver metal. Sweat was pouring down his forehead when he finished and a very technical pattern spread from the sigil, covering the full piece in intricate carvings.

Shortly after he got the notification that the item was finished.

<Forgeright

Special

Phys. Damage: 400

Mag. Damage: 400

Phys. Def. :1500

Mag. Def. :1300

Durability:2500

1. Allows working with all materials.

2. Active Skill: Absolute Focus

3. Passive Skill: Craftsman's Precision

4. Improves in Synergy with all Forging Equipment

5. Improves in Synergy with Skill: Blacksmith

6. Improves in Synergy with Skill: Goldsmith

7. Improves in Synergy with Skill: Golem Artisan

8. +10% Skill Effects

A magnificent gauntlet created by the hands of Craftsman Smith with the help of divine intervention. Any Blacksmith would give a leg to call this gauntlet his own.

Requirements: Blessed of Hephaestus >

He couldn't tell whether this was what it should be or Hephaestus played a little prank by almost perfectly mirroring the effects of the Wraithguard, except that his options focused on the skills of a blacksmith.

The passive skill Craftsman's Precision improved the effects of items by up to 20%, by helping Seth work even cleaner. The active skill Absolute Focus could double his crafting speed at the cost of mental energy. All other options were self-explanatory in his opinion.

Like this it was already comparable to the Wraithguard, if he could find a fitting soul and further enchant it, Forgeright would definitely become even better than the dwarf's legacy item.

He put on the silver glove, together with the copper one, and could help his childish glee when everything fit perfectly. He kept opening and closing his fist and playing around. There was something powerful about wearing gauntlets.

Satisfied with his day's work, the blacksmith leaned back and relaxed. He had not even started working on his new armor, but he felt like he lifted a great weight off his soul. Feeling his stomach asking for attention he looked at the clock.

"Late afternoon? Time for a meal." he thought to himself and got up.

Right outside the door he caught two child-like dwarves impishly eavesdropping on his workshop.

"I can explain...We heard hammer strikes and.." Hoen tried to justify their actions.

"Did you already start working with the scales!?" the younger Wedan didn't think about holding back and asked the important questions.

"No, I didn't. I still need some stuff before I start with the armor. You guys want to grab a bite a the kitchen?" he invited them and started walking without waiting for an answer.

"Mike? Mina? Fin? Guys? What's up with the long faces?" he asked as he walked in.

The whole party was sitting in the cafeteria with dull and melancholic faces and they all looked tired.

"Seth!" Their faces lit up, seeing he had finally returned.

Mina jumped up, pulling him into an abrupt kiss. The blacksmith did not stand at ceremony and enjoyed their reunion. When they finally separated, Seth and the dwarfs joined the party at the tables.