Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1029. Blood of Maahes

While Sivri started refining the rough gems, Seth started up the furnace to refine the and from Donnchadhʼs hoard. While the Nuggets of these two materials generally occurred in pure form in nature and not as some kind of ore, they would still have inclusions of host rock. Seth used the furnace to burn those out. It didnʼt take long and helped him get in the groove of using the furnace.

Because the next step was the . As the name said, it was an ore, like previously the . It needed refinement before it could be worked on further. Since it was not closer defined what metal ore it originally was, Seth had to test around to find the best way to refine it.

Usually, when talking about or , these magical versions of normal metals follow similar rules when refining and working with them. Although they differed in hardness and durability, their melting point and treatment methods usually stayed similar. Since he had no clue about the metal, he started with a small test sample and simply raised the heat.

Despite his worries, the blacksmith was lucky. Although he didnʼt quite know what metal it was, it seemed to be enough to heat up the ore to about 2000° Celsius. While much of the impurities burned away and some slag swam on top, it became a homogeneous liquid. He released it through the opening on the bottom of the furnaces and filled it into a mold.

When it cooled down, it turned out to be a reddish-golden metal, similar to copper, but with a colder, more crimson red.

The description of the material had changed quite a bit, giving a clearer image of what powers it supported. It was very much in tune with the effects of the Slaughtererʼs Set, as one would expect from the design of a god of craftsmen. The set supported and channeled these powers while being completely focused on ease of movement and enabling the transformation into a massive anthropomorphic lion.

Despite the fact that the assumed effects would be lower when he used a different main material, Seth deliberated to make one for Ortega later on. As a chosen of Montu, he turned into a massive bull, which was not too different from the requirement for this armor. As a god of war, Montu also shared some divinities with Maahes, Seth just needed to find a fitting replacement for the .

With the ore refined to roughly 15 bars the size of bricks, Seth started with the bracers and the shin guards, as he needed Sivriʼs work for the other parts. The blacksmith had not much creative freedom when it came to the design and enchantments of the armor pieces of the Slaughtererʼs Set.

Like the Olympian Enchantments, he had a hard time figuring out how the individual parts of the circuits on the various armor actually worked. He knew from the blueprints what the end result would be, but otherwise, they were a black box to him.

Seth could only concentrate on implementing the shape and ornamental-seeming decorations on the armor the best he could. Like a Sigil, he knew it was an enchantment, but there was no mortal logic to how exactly it worked.

On the other hand, the was easier to work with than for example the , or other legendary materials. The red-golden material needed a lot of heat, but Seth had no need to concentrate on a demonic ballad, or infusing his magic power into the material to soften it.

The bard had decided against a ballad, because he didnʼt wish to mess up the enchantments the pieces came with. Since he had no idea how exactly they worked, he was not confident in weaving more magic into it, lest he may have weakened it inadvertently.

Thanks to this it took little effort to shape the bracers and shinguards. He first finished the forging, before he started the engraving process. The challenge was similar to the Olympian enchantments, but the designs were completely different.

This notification rang four times before it became evening. The final items had fewer effects than the ones Seth usually created on his own, however, their power was astounding. Apart from basic improvements which were influenced by his , they each had a skill and a unique effect.

The right bracer held the special effect ”Lord of Slaughter” which increased physical damage and attack speed by 5% for every continuously killed or defeated enemy. It also came with the active Skill ”Storm Slash” which fired wind from the blade of the weapon.

The left bracer came with the effect ”Wielder of the Knife” which gave stacking damage over time, causing 25% of the attack damage as bleeding damage over the course of 1 minute. Its skill was Withering Strike, which caused damage to stamina, causing fatigue and dehydration.

With both bracers finished, their set-effect also appeared, which increased the defense when blocking with the bracers and gave the Skill ”Storm Shield”, which created a magic shield in front of the were, when they crossed their arms in front of their chest.

Similarly, the shinguards also only differed from each other in the skill and effect they offered the user. The left one had the effect of Desert Lion, which improved charges and damage by 50% when stepping on Sand. Fittingly, the skill was , which allowed the wearer to create a field of sand with a radius of 3 meters around them.

The right one offered the effect of Wind Caller, improving the wearerʼs power over wind and the power of Wind-element attacks by 50%. Its skill was a little out there, as it was called , which allowed the user to create a Lotus under their feet to walk in the air or on water.

It was early evening when he finished checking the items. There was still time. With Sivri still busily carving stones, the blacksmith began working on the scale shirt. Apart from the image of two wings crossing over the chest, Seth needed to fashion hundreds of small scales from the .

Each scale had its own patterns, which would ultimately form one ornamental enchantment. Seth was not new to this concept, as he was also currently working on a similar project. However, his own attempt was not as advanced as the current item. It took hours to make the individual scales, but in the end, Seth managed to finish in the evening.

”How are you faring, Sivri?” Seth asked the golden dwarf after putting down the last scale.

Sivri was sitting at the Jewelerʼs Table, meticulously carving and drilling stones. There was already a small pile growing on the tray beside her.

”I should be done with the things you need for the Usekh and the belt by tonight,” she answered joyfully. It seemed that work was actually quite fun to her. As a golem, she wouldnʼt get tired of it, anyway.

”Great to hear. I will quit for today, I will see you tomorrow,” the blacksmith said with a nod and left the workshop to the golden golem. Seth didnʼt want to work too late since he finally got to spend his evening with Mina and Fin again. For similar reasons, Seth was quite sure Mike would appreciate it if he took a few days longer for the armor.

However, the mood wasnʼt good when he came to their room. Mina seemed focused and even Fin was too gloomy to jump at him, as she would usually do as a greeting.

”Whatʼs with the long faces, you two? Did something happen at the village?”

”Buhh, we lost today,” the pouting Fin said depressed.

”You lost?” Seth asked shocked. How difficult would the opponent have to be for them and the others to lose?! ”You didnʼt get hurt, right?”

”Calm down, we didnʼt lose in a fight, but in an argument,” Mina explained, grinding her teeth.

”An argument? Who did you argue with?” the bard asked perplexed.

After thinking back and forth for a moment, Mina finally explained the whole thing. A group of cultivators had banded together to complain about Minas Marʼs management of the Pythian Village. Mina couldnʼt quite remember the whole conversation, but it was about them not having the authority to judge them and they should stay out of the business of the ”Jianghu”.

”They call their leader the Stalking Cicada, donʼt ask me why... he appeared something over a week ago and started assembling people from big and reputable families. At least they are acting like their families are big and powerful, like spoiled brats. My dad is this and that, or their grandfather owns this and that...” Mina started ranting.

”So why did you start arguing with them?” the blacksmith finally asked, when she calmed a little.

”They occupied one of the restaurants but didnʼt use force, so we tried solving it with words...” and that was how it all spun into a humiliating debate on principles and justification.

14:46

”Mina, Fin, I will come along with you two tomorrow. I will teach you how to deal with people like this.” the blacksmith promised.

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