Chapter 128: Chapter 128
Arwin’s hammer rang so much that it might as well have been an entire chorus of bells. He worked the metal relentlessly. Steadily, it grew closer and closer into the shape that he wanted.
The armor he’d made for Lillia had given him a number of ideas. He didn’t want to copy the exact same structure – he got hit far too often to want to rely on something that fragile, but using multiple segmented plates for moving sections felt like a good hinge mechanism.
He used the horn of the anvil to make several small, curved plates that would become the coverings for his knees. He then formed the front top half of the greaves out of a single piece of metal, repeating the process for the front of the other leg. He quenched and cleaned every piece as he made it, making sure that it was properly prepared for later assembly before moving on to the next step.
The lower parts of the greaves followed a similar pattern, and he finished by making the plates that would make up their back. Arwin extended the metal coming out of the bottom halves of his greaves to form cups that would be positioned over the segmented knee joints to protect them from direct blows.
He laid everything out, testing to make sure it fit together as well as possible. The Mesh had guided a fair amount of his work through the process but he hadn’t followed it completely. His armor was a mixture of his own desires and the Mesh’s suggestions.
That seemed to be the best way to make anything, but it came with an increased risk of making an amateur mistake. Arwin spent around an hour working out the smaller mistakes in the metal and making sure everything fit together properly.
He then set about making the clasps and connecting the pieces together with pins. Every piece in the joints was checked to ensure it wouldn’t lock up or catch on anything before he moved on.
The armor was starting to truly take shape. With every new piece that Arwin validated, it grew closer to becoming a completed set of greaves. The Mesh started to swirl within the metal as he worked, but there was still more to do before it could be considered complete.
Arwin took the leather that he still had remaining from his previous work and cut it apart, inserting it into the insides of the greaves and pinning it in place. Smoke hissed as he used [Soul Flame] and [Scourge] to heat and pinch off the ends of the metal right at the edge of the leather, squishing them into smooth disks to ensure they wouldn’t dig into his skin.
Arwin couldn’t help but notice that the Ivory Executioner set hadn’t been completed. That wasn’t really a surprise. At the bare minimum, he was going to need to fix the chest piece. It had been the set’s namesake, after all. He’d find out if he needed gauntlets or boots after that.
Full body sets were pretty rare, so I’d be willing to bet this is a 3-piece set. I certainly hope it is. I want to see what benefits I get from completing it as well as the full strength of the helmet.
That can come later. I need to get magical greaves for Rodrick. Maybe a magical weapon as well. I need our other frontliner able to stand beside me without getting taken out in the first blow or two.
That can come later, though. I’ve done enough smithing for tonight. The work is done. It’s time for the fun part. Let’s see what you’ve got waiting for me, Mesh.
Arwin summoned his status with a thought. Golden letters swirled forth eagerly, as if the Mesh had been waiting for the moment to show itself.
Class: Living Forge (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 5)
New Skill Specialization Available.
Arwin selected the final glowing message with a thought. Words shifted and faded away as new ones took their place.
Choose a Skill to specialize in.
Arwin’s eyes traced over the options. The first few were exactly as he’d expected, but the last one came from the Challenge that he’d earned. A frown crawled across his lips. [The Hungering Maw] wasn’t a skill.
It was a title. Titles couldn’t be upgraded. They were flat boons – or curses – that stuck around and remained unchanging. He hadn’t been certain how the option would show up, but the Mesh was treating as if it were just any other skill.
That made for an interesting dilemma. There were a number of skills that Arwin would have liked to specialize in already. [Arsenal] was functionally the only skill he wouldn’t havewanted to choose.
[Molten Novice] seemed like it would have a lot of potential once he got it working, but it was such a big question that he didn’t want to risk specializing into it – not to mention that it didn’t actually give him any benefits yet. It was just too much of a risk.
[Soul Flame], on the other hand, was an incredible option. He already used it extensively for just about all of his work. Specializing in it would give him more combat and crafting options alike.