Chapter Five Hundred And Eighty One – 581

Chapter Five Hundred And Eighty One – 581

Harn brought his hammer down. Sparks flew like a brilliant waterfall of purple-blue motes before they vanished, eaten up by the relentless cold. Outside the forge hed commandeered, night had fallen. The winds were brutal but Harn welcomed themtonight, his work required more than simple heat.

He lifted his hammer. The haft was of rich, golden-green wood and the wide head was fashioned from a chunk of purple-white crystal. Mana crystal, in fact, part of a set of tools Harn had fashioned for his personal use. None among Elderthrone could manufacture Mana crystal of course, that required a level of power beyond a Masterbut Ahkestria had a remarkable selection of raw materials. Hed arranged for their construction in the Leviathan Depths and it had cost him more crowns than hed seen in his life.

Worth it, he thought with a grin. Harn set the hammer down beside the huge black iron anvil and inspected his work.

Mana Folding is level 64!

The layers are solid. Steady. He rapped his knuckles against the breastplate. It rang like a bell, and a spark of bright purple flashed from the point of contact. Smithing, far as Harn was concerned, was less about following rules as it was following the shape of things. The armor in his hands was once a hunk of ice, but by listening to the material and his instincts, Harn was able to make something more.

The shape had come out just as he envisioned it at the outset, which wasnt always the case. He was better at Smithing now, his Skill pushed well into Adept, but problems always had a chance to arise. Those problems and imperfections were amplified by the materials; something too advanced, too strong, and hed struggle with making even the simplest of tools. His lengthy experience with Leviathan bone had prepared him well for the strange material hed been handed.

Harn set the breastplate down. Evie. You know its rude to lurk.

An annoyed grunt came from the rafters above. The forge was built to the specifications of giants, and the ceiling was at least forty paces high. How long have you known I was here?

Harn picked up his crystal hammer and put it away with his others. Since you snuck in through the window.

Noctis tits. She dropped to the ground, falling like a leaf from a tree and landing without a whisper. Thought I was gettin better.

You are. But so am I, Harn said with a grin. He nudged the breastplate on the anvil toward her. Here. Thats for you.

Its done?

Aye. Was tricky working with ice, but when it came down to it, that stuff hammers out like steel. Just needs cold instead of heat.

Evie lifted the chest piece of her new armor and gazed at it in wonder. It's beautiful.

Harn grunted. Better be. Had to burn six Mana Potions on that; the ice kept soaking up my Skill faster than I could provide it.

Really? Is that normal?

Not for base iron or steel, but higher grade materials are thirsty. Leviathan bone requires me to drink four per span of material or else my folding can fail, and High Steel needs three. And those are reduced numbers, thanks to my Skill levels.

Evie clutched the cold material to her chest, a small gasp her only admission to how blasted cold it was. Is it strong?

The Mana Folding I did strengthened the material, and it was already tough as High Steel. With my hammers, Harn said, nodding to his unrolled pack of tools. I was able to push it well beyond. Cant do more to it, not just cause Ive hit my limit on Mana Potions for the day. More and itd stress out the matrices in the ice. But its bettern my armor, thats for sure.

Evie grinned. Excellent. Next battle Ill wade hip deep in bodies.

Dont get carried away. Its strong, but it aint perfect. Orichalcum and mithril are different beasts entirely, and if you run into weapons made of it you dodge. No direct hits. Itll score and break, and if its made anywhere near as good as mine, mithril will cut you in half.

How often can I expect that, though?The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

Not a lot, I admit. But we have a way of runnin into too many dangers all at once. Just keep its limitations in mind.

Fair enough. Evie looked around. Wheres the rest of it?

Over there, in the smiths chest. Harn gestured to a wide box where completed pieces were set out. Arm, leg, shoulder, all the bits were covered in the strong, flexible material. Hed even forged a helmet. Theyll link up if you feed em a bit of Mana. A trick I learned makin strapless armor for the Legion.

Evie slipped the pieces over her body, locking them into place with a deft hand. Its cold.

Surprised?

I shouldnt be. Evie rotated her shoulders, checking her range of motion. The pauldrons moved perfectly. She twisted her torso, grinning all the while. Snug as sin. You got better.

Best believe it, kid. Check the details. Harn swiped his hand, sending a blue screen rotating into her view.

Name: Frostguard Armor

Type: Armor (Set) (Enchanted)

Here you are. Quietest place I know, Sata said, opening the door and revealing a long chamber set with chairs, table, its own firepit, and a long open area set with fur pelts. Felix and Vess walked in, and the girl smoothed her apron. Ill get you some grub and wine. Ma said shes only got the hard stuff left, but if you came with the Frostkiller then I know youre tough enough. With a wink, she left.

A delightful child, Vess said. And so tall. What must she think of us?

It is odd, isnt it? Standing in these spaces meant for them? Felix gestured to the oversized table and chairs. They made him feel like a toddler at the dinner table. I imagine they see us and cant quite wrap their heads around living so small.

A likely thing, Vess agreed. She paused, considering the table with him. Should we sit?

Ah, give me a second.

Stone Shaping!

Beyond the firepit, a table and chairs rose from beneath the fur rugs, shoving them aside. They were blocky and plain, but properly sized for them. Thats better. After you.

A ruler and a gentleman. Vess sat at the table, arranging her skirts across her long legs. She wiggled, slightly. A little hard, but at least my feet touch the ground.

Felix frowned, concentrating. Finesse with his shaping Skills was hard for him, but hed been practicing with his metal work. He focused on the seats of the chair, letting the pattern of the Skill flow through him. It wanted to move stone, form it, carve it, to allow the earth to take shape. Carefully, Felix shaved off a piece of the seat beneath Vess, curving it slightly.

Stone Shaping is level 96!

Vess jolted in her seat before looking down. Oh, thats much better!

Felix goggled at the notification. A level from just that? Why?

Hello? Felix? Is something wrong?

Hm? No. No, its fine. I just gained a Skill level for that modification, and Im not sure why. Stone Shaping was already level 95, and its been torture pushing any thing beyond level 90. He scratched his head. Last time it went up, I was fighting a Greater Elemental.

Well, I would imagine its a matter of understanding. Most do not face as many life-threatening situations as you do, some not even in their entire lives. Yet they still manage to level their abilities. My own growth has been accelerated by your troubles, but even still I have needed to grasp a greater understanding of my Skills to truly push them.

Right. Yeah, Harn and Cal mentioned that before, Felix said. Months ago. They said that anything after hitting Apprentice Tier would be a lot harder to advance. Ive definitely seen the greater understanding leads to gains theory in action before, but mostly it hasnt really mattered.

Your Unbound nature, perhaps?

Maybe.

Undoubtedly your insistence on resisting forces far beyond your Tier and level has contributed to your swift rise. She held out two hands, balancing them like scales. Risk. Reward. I do not know much of Master Tier, but I cannot imagine it is a simple thing to Temper into, Felix. Perhaps you shall require greater understanding, going forward?

Felix sighed. I was afraid of that.

Vess smiled, and her cheek dimpled in that way Felix found very distracting. You will figure it out. Later, we can discuss some techniques I was taught as a child.

Techniques? Like your visualization one?

Just so. Coming from a place beyond the Continent, I cannot begin to understand what you have not been taught, so we can go over the basics. Hopefully they will be of some use.

If theyre anything like your visualization technique, then Im down for it. That saved my butt down in the water.

Vess smile deepened, and it was like her smile got brighter somehow. That makes me happy, Felix. Now, she straightened, leaning away from the table to adjust her hair. Let us talk of other things. It is so rare to have you alone, uninterrupted and without prying ears. I plan to take advantage of it.

Felix battled a flush in his cheeks and lost. He leaned back, fiddling with his cuffs. Advantage?

Felix, please. I am of the nobility, Vess said, her own cheeks coloring prettily. And among us, there are things one must know when courgetting to know one another. Only, this might berude.

I trust you, he said.

Vess huffed a relieved breath. And I, you. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. If you wish to stop my questioning that is absolutely fine. In fact, I can stop now if you are feeling

Vess. Please, Felix said. Whats the question?

Tell me of Earth, she said. And your family.