《Blacksmith of the Apocalypse》664. Melting away
Advertisement
After a long shower in the bath of the guest room, there were two things on his mind. For one, the three leftover pills. He already decided on giving them to Mina. During the shower, he found that his skin had become a lot smoother and softer thanks to the refinement. What miracles would they bring for someone who started off as a beauty like Mina?
The other was that his fingers were itching to try the new option of Charon's Obol. He needed to give it a good work over to get rid of the forge scale anyway and the blacksmith already had something in mind for what to make.
Although he was done with all the items he wanted to finish for his friends before the expedition to the Holy Land, it wasn't like a blacksmith needed a reason to make cool items. Wasn't this how it usually went in fantasy stories?
A revered blacksmith would make a great item and then look for someone worthy to wield his stellar work? Right now, a great item had been waiting for him to make it but Seth had been pushing it back because he didn't know anyone fit to use it.
The horn of the qilin as Master mountain had called it, or rather the fragment of the horned Serpent. A special-rated material from an otherworldly deity. It had been collecting dust in Seth's inventory because he knew no warrior that used the ice or water elements.
Melee classes that had a connection to elemental powers usually used Fire, Wind, or Earth for their buffs in damage, speed, and defense respectively. People with more ordinary classes that lacked an elemental specialization were not even in Seth's consideration.
Delta's only prominent ice user was Elza, but she was already a chosen and she was a mage. With the materials already being in the natural shape of a sword, it would have broken Seth's heart to turn it into a staff. For the same reason, Shay, the ice mage from Monique's team was also out of the question.
For this reason, he had kept pushing back working with the fragment. Yet now was a perfect time. He was technically free for the moment and it met the criteria to test Charon's Obol. It was an organic material that only needed some refinement to make for a good sword.
Advertisement
Twirling the hammer in his hand he strolled to his workshop thinking of what kind of sword to make. The overall shape of the fragment lent itself perfectly for a two-handed longsword. Something along the lines of a Zweihänder or a Claymore.
They weren't the most popular weapons out there, as the standard for most warriors was to go for a type of longsword. Second to longswords were only spears and axes. Still, Seth was confident anyone would jump at the chance to get a legendary weapon, even if it was not their preferred weapon of choice.
"You seem in a good mood, Seth," Wedan commented when he saw the tower master walk by his workshop.
"Oh, yeah. It's been a good day so far and I just had a great idea for an item," Seth replied with a smile.
"Really, can I watch?" the young dwarf asked with sparkling eyes. The last time he had allowed the dwarfs to watch, they had gained a lot from it, although Seth had felt a little embarrassed being watched. Since then, everyone had been busy with things, so they had not gotten the chance to repeat it.
"Are you that free?" he asked back.
"I just finished a big order for an armor set and was going to finish for today! I'm free."
"Me too!" Hoen suddenly entered the conversation with a bright smile. "If there is a chance to watch the master work, I won't let it slip by!" he spoke enthusiastically.
Seth scrutinized them with sharp eyes in the hope of discouraging them, but he was almost blinded by the light in their eyes. These forging fanatics were shameless and unbridled.
"Ah, erm, may I ...also watch?" a third voice butted in. " I know, I'm a goldsmith, but I would also like to watch the Tower Master work on a weapon;" Orry Abell asked hesitatingly.
Seth could only sigh and surrender to his fate, that he would have three pairs of eyes watching him today.
"Fine, Fine, come in. I don't think it will hurt anyone if you watch for a little."
He ground the weird slag off the hammer, revealing a smooth black surface below before he attempted to start on the sword.
With the peanut gallery sitting opposite his anvil, Seth brought out the fragment of the horned snake. He could already hear the ohs and ahs of the dwarfs as they laid their eyes upon an almost natural sword.
Advertisement
The blacksmith equipped his crafting gloves and circulated his energy through Charon's Obol, becoming one with the hammer. A sudden cold made the three peanuts shiver when Seth's voice echoed through the workshop in an alien language.
This was the ballad of Jekulaz, a demon of pure ice, known for his freezing winds. If it wasn't for the bellowing flames of the forge behind him, the temperature in the workshop may have actually fallen below freezing.
He started swinging his hammer and with each swing, he forced some of his energy into the horn. Simultaneously he paid off the demon with Souls, through and the demonic runes of power sank into the material.
Before using in addition to the hammer own ability was a necessary step to make the material malleable. Now, by transferring the energy through the hammer, it also had the same refining effect as the medical energy of the pill and the blessing of the Hammer that bestowed effects.
With every hit, he felt the energy filling the blade, and its color darkened with the demonic runes entering. He was slowly and carefully shaping it, giving it an even edge geometry and getting it ready for sharpening, when suddenly- His hammer hit and his heart dropped.
The surface of the blade cracked like porcelain and flaked away like a forge scale. The indigo-blue blade had lost its luster and cracks covered the surface, spreading from the hit. Seth started sweating hard. The dwarfs and Orry were watching him, to commit such a blunder... the worst was that he didn't even know what went wrong!
He calmed his heart and breath and focused on not letting them notice that something was wrong. With a waxen face, the hammer rose again, and he hit the flaky surface of the sword. More pieces crumbled off. He hit again and more pieces fell.
He didn't show it to the outside, but he was panicking internally. What had happened to the sword? With each hit, the claymore blade that had already taken shape shrunk like a melting iceberg. He was close to losing his cool completely when he spotted a glimpse of hope. Where a big part of the once broad blade broke away he saw a bright glance of metal that stood in stark contrast to the indigo-blue that lost its luster.
Seeing the silver lining on the horizon, he started hammering with reinvigorated swings. As more big chunks broke away, he finally realized what had happened. The color had not darkened because of the demonic forging ballad. It was the refining energy in addition to his strikes had moved the impurities to the outside forming a thick layer of slag, which was the crumbling surface.
He just had to break it away and be left with the purified material. He just didn't expect to lose this much material through the refining process. With a laughing and a crying eye, he watched the mighty claymore shrink.
It was already past the domain of a longsword. What had started with the idea of making a big meaty ice sword and turned into something closer to a rapier, or maybe a hybrid of rapier and sword? In exchange, the material had become a lot more beautiful.
The color had turned from an indigo-blue to a deep sky-blue and the aura of ice was so dense that it formed frost atop the Anvil of Tartarus. The effect of just the material was beyond expectation, it was just a shame that it was reduced by this much.
Seth didn't have any dislike for a rapier-style sword, but it was even less popular than a two-handed sword since it needed a lot of skill and technique to be used effectively. So a rapier it was... this meant he had to slightly change his plans on the fly.
He was just glad that he had not planned any intricate enchantments, since he intended to concentrate on the ice effects and see what Charon's Obol would add to the mix.
Using he quickly checked schematics for all kinds of rapiers, finally finding one that fit the current shape of the material. It was meatier than the usual rapier, closer to a hybrid of longsword and rapier, which would give it ample power for stabbing and slashing.
Forging the blade into shape didn't take a lot of time, after which came the handle construction. Seth wasn't being cheap and used legendary for the intricate hand guard of the rapier. For the handle itself, he used some of the wood of the Hangingtree.
Advertisement
- In Serial18 Chapters
Journey Into The Abyss: A Progression Fantasy
Sagil Yuudai's life was a living hell. Whether it was grinding bottom-tier quests and never ranking up or being belittled by those around him, it was far from easy. So, when his Uncle-Figure invited him to escape from that cycle, he was never going to say no. Especially when that escape came with the quest of saving the world from the abyss. There's just one problem. They're not even in the world they're supposed to save anymore. *** I'll try to post daily during the writathon. I've really been enjoying writing recently so hopefully I can make it work. Oh, any hopefully you guys like it! If you like stuff like mushoku tensei you should like this as well! [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Thanks to Asviloka for the cool cover!
8 126 - In Serial9 Chapters
Travels In An Unknown World
Shawn Yates was an ordinary person who lived his uneventful life just like everybody else. He went to school, he had a job and he had friends. He spent most of his spare time playing games and the one he had played the most was the MMORPG that his father had helped develop. 'The Wayfarer's Realm'. But he had just turned twenty when his entire life was flipped upside down. Waking up in an unknown world in the body of his in-game character, a battle mage who practices chronomancy and spatial magic, he tries to survive and explore his new enviroment. Follow his travels as he learns more about his new world and tries to finds an answer to the biggest question on his mind. Why are there so many similarities between that world, and the world of 'The Wayfarer's Realm' that his father helped create?
8 137 - In Serial35 Chapters
On the Edge of Eureka
Currently on hiatus because college is hard. I promise it's not abandoned! Eleutheria, the crown gem of the Solar System, has stood tall for nearly two dozen centuries. Forged in a plague-stricken, war-torn wasteland and tested by fire for hundreds of bloody years, Eleutheria has learned how to survive calamities that would have decimated lesser nations. Its power waxes and wanes, but the empire itself is as steadfast as the Moon; it's an inscrutable, indestructible force of nature no human being could ever hope to stop. But under its glimmering exterior lies a tangled web of secrets and lies, a deadly and decadent court, and corruption that runs from the kings to the kingpins. As its leader loses her grip and opposing forces grow ever stronger, the threat of civil war looms closer and closer to home. The whole country is a chemical reaction waiting to happen, and all it needs is a catalyst. Acidalia Cipher is that catalyst. Cover designed on Canva, images are Creative Commons stock photos from Pexels and Unsplash.
8 222 - In Serial6 Chapters
Guilder Story
The Guild, the world's largest and most evil Sect, destroys the memories of its applicants to ensure their loyalty. For one lizardman, that may not be enough.
8 161 - In Serial7 Chapters
Misfortune Night House
In the future of XX42 the world is now over populated and somehow the world adapts itself towards this problem by creating a new phenomenon to secure itself and that is the MNH or """"Misfortune Night House"""". Follow our protagonists in solving the cause of the phenomenon and survive the chaotic night.
8 142 - In Serial21 Chapters
The Going-Home Club
At Palomar High, every student is required to join a club. Neil Velazquez is an incoming senior at this school. From the basket weaving club to the humanist society, he coasted through junior year by lurking in such unrelated, nonserious, and low-commitment groups. He's not interested in participating in any activities. He could care less, and is just looking for a place to fulfill the requirement. He's panicked that all of the easy clubs are disappearing. That's when he stumbles across the "Going-Home Club". It's a club where nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. Vector Attribution: Building Vectors by Vecteezy
8 141

