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Chapter 168: The Bleak Wind

It wasn’t like he could ask the feather for its thoughts either. Metal he could speak to. A feather, on the other hand and according to Esmerelda’s own words, was the plainest feather of the plainest dove. It most certainly didn’t have a scrap of magical power that would enable [Stonesinger] to activate.

Ah, screw it. If I can’t hammer the feather itself, maybe I’ll just try to press some metal in over it. It’s the best way to work it in that I can think of without getting mashed feather in the process. This way it’ll only be a bit burnt.

A bit might have been understating quite how much hot metal would cook a feather, but that was the point of experimenting. Arwin set the feather down on the inside of the chestpiece’s front plate, then moved the whole thing off the anvil.

He then set another small piece of black metal down and got to work hammering out until it was square and as thin as he dared make it. Arwin set the main armor piece back onto the anvil and held the edges of the thin piece in the hearth, heating them to a molten yellow.

Biting his lower lip, Arwin lowered the piece over the top of the feather, trying to keep the heated edges away from the feather. He’d made it just large enough to fit the feather in on the less-hot center, though it had still heated from its proximity to the hearth.

The feather hissed as Arwin started hammering away at the edges of the plate. Small curls of [Soul Flame] rose up from Verdant Blaze as he tapped away, doing his absolute best to avoid accidentally cooking his feather.

It soon became apparent that adding a random lump to the armor might have been a good way to avoid damaging the feather too badly, but it was a rather poor move for comfort. Having something that jutted out into your chest wasn’t ideal. Arwin considered the plate for a moment, then let out a huff.

Screw it. The feather needs to become one with the armor, not sit inside it.

Arwin brought Verdant Blaze down right in the center of the plate, ignoring his previous attempts at avoiding the feather. A large blast of [Soul Flame] drove into the armor and he repeated the process, pouring magic from himself and into the armor as he focused his intent on making it as light as possible.

He worked faster now that the feather issue had been handled — though only time would tell if his strategy would actually work. Arwin worked away at the front of the Chestplate, making all the modifications to ensure it would fit Anna whilst combining it with the feather and continuing to pour energy into it.

Once he’d gotten it to the proper shape, Arwin plunged it into his barrel of oil. Flame erupted along the top of the oil as it hissed and bubbled. He waited until the wave of heat had died down before pulling the chestpiece out and setting it down. He still had the pauldrons, backpiece, and segmented abdomen parts to complete.

Fortunately, none of those needed a feather inside them. Arwin got to work making the last of the modifications and pouring magical energy into every part he worked on. Piece by finished piece was stacked up beside the anvil until every single one of them had been finished.

Arwin set about cleaning the scale off them before getting to work making some bolts from the same metal. They got the exact same magical energy treatment and were piled up on the edge of his anvil.

Once the bolts were done, Arwin took a moment to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his brow before gathering some leather and setting about preparing it to line the inside of the chestpiece.

He cut it into large sections and removed strips for the bindings — and then it was time to put everything together. Arwin laid the parts out and heated the heads of the pins before pressing them through the leather and into the armor. Magical energy continued to run from him and into his work, bringing his reserves dangerously low.

Arwin hadn’t been keeping track of how long he’d been working, but judging by how little power he had left, it had been quite some time. Power gathered around the armor and tingled beneath his hands, but Arwin didn’t stop. If the Mesh acknowledged his piece before he was finished, then his efforts would be wasted.

He had to make sure every single bit was completed before he released his work for judgement. Once the main parts of the armor were prepared, Arwin turned his attention to the connecting segments.

Before they could be connected, they had to be decorated. It didn’t feel right leaving the armor plain. It only took Arwin a few moments to decide what he wanted the theme of the armor to be. Everything was focused on being light and flowy, so the wind was the only logical path he could take.

He set about carving swirling clouds into every piece with the aid of [Scourge] and a knife. Instead of getting fancy, he focused on capturing the boundless freedom and airy disposition of a cloud. He utilized thick, flowing strokes that made up puffy forms in a variety of shapes and sizes.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Something about turning the once-spined and intimidating armor that Jessen had worn into a cute drawing filled Arwin with amusement — but not nearly enough to distract him from his intent.

Arwin continued the pattern from the segments up onto the rest of the armor. The clouds stretched out through a boundless sky and wrapped around the chestpiece. They traveled up the pauldrons and even onto the leather within.

By the time he’d finished carving, his reserves had gone from low to almost completely drained. There couldn’t have been more than a minute left at the rate he was currently using them. Arwin hurriedly started connecting the moving segments to the armor and pinning them in place whilst continuing to push his magic into the piece.

If he ran out of power before it was done, the chestpiece would never reach its full potential. He had an entire set to make out of Jessen’s armor if this worked, and ruining the chestpiece would mean it would all be a waste.

Sweat trickled down Arwin’s back and soaked into his clothes. He gritted his teeth as the world grew fuzzy around him. His fingers trembled as he pressed pins into place and drew deeper and deeper on his reserves.

It was like trying to squeeze water from a rock. There were just a few steps left, but those few steps felt like a pathway into the heavens. He may have had the literal magic left, but he was also focused on remaining standing, keeping his fingers moving, and maintaining his intent.

Iron bands of will formed in his mind as Arwin dug deeply into his reserves. He felt a rush of fortitude spread throughout him. It wasn’t physical strength, but his thoughts sharpened and his fingers started to move faster. He was dimly aware that it was likely [Indomitable] reinforcing his thoughts against his own exhaustion.

He hadn’t expected this piece of armor to be so much more difficult than the others he’d made, but he’d never made such a large piece while flooding it with this much of his own energy. Arwin swayed on his feet — and something pressed against his back and wrapped around his shoulders, propping him upright.

There wasn’t time to wonder what it was. Arwin pushed the last bolts into place, leaning against the unknown presence for support. He shoved the final scraps of magical energy he had out from his palms and into the armor, then let his hands drop.

The Mesh rushed forth and slammed into the metal chestpiece like a bolt of lightning.

[Bleak Wind Chestplate: Epic Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.

Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.

Achievement: [Rarer than Rare] has been earned.

[Rarer than Rare] – Awarded for forging your first Epic Quality item. Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.

The world swam around Arwin even with [Indomitable] fighting to keep him awake. Only sheer force of will and shock in conjunction with his unforeseen aid kept him standing. He’d made rare items before — but Epic was an entirely new frontier for his crafting.

Arwin peered down at the Bleak Wind Chestplate and information swirled forth to form into golden letters in the air before him.

[Bleak Wind Chestplate: Epic Quality]

[Blood Fog]: Forged from the armor of a lineage of killers for a woman who desires to do nothing but heal, this item seeks to fulfill its new owner’s desires in the only way it knows how. The Bleak Wind Chestplate can release Blood Fog at the cost of magical energy. Living beings that inhale Blood Fog that the Bleak Wind Chestplate’s bearer views as opponents will be struck with visions of all those whose deaths the Bleak Wind Chestplate can recall. The fog’s effectiveness depends on the difference in Tiers between the target and this item’s bearer.

[Light as a Feather]: Though decades of blood and death weigh heavy on this armor, its physical form is greatly lightened by the gentle hands of wind bearing it aloft like a feather.

[Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Anna. Its abilities will not function for any other users.

[Black Shroud]: This item’s properties are concealed from others once it has been donned.

[The Bleak Wind] (Locked): Whole once more, the Bleak Wind Set will permit its user to dematerialize into a gust of wind at the cost of magical energy.

[Bleak Wind]: This is a set item of [6] pieces. When the entire set is worn, The Bleak Wind will be unlocked.

There was no doubt in Arwin’s mind that the item lived up to its impressive Epic rarity. The final ability of the armor was incredible. An unrestricted movement ability that turned someone into wind was powerful indeed. It wasn’t like a sword could cut wind, so Anna would be functionally untouchable by physical blows as long as she had magical energy.

Unfortunately, that boon wouldn’t come until Arwin managed to get the rest of the set made, but he didn’t mind. The other abilities the item gave were incredible. [Light as a Feather] would have been good enough, but [Blood Fog] and [Black Shroud] made it perfect.

A delighted, weary grin pulled across Arwin’s lips. His eyes slipped over the words once more, catching for a moment on Anna’s name — or rather, the lack of it. She was just Anna in the Mesh’s eyes.

Huh. That’s odd.

Arwin’s mind was too tired to process it any further. The weariness was wrapping around his body like iron chains that pulled him down toward the floor and it was growing harder and harder to resist them. His eyes fluttered, but he fought to keep his balance with the aid of his invisible helper.

“Need to get back to the tavern so Lillia doesn’t get worried,” Arwin muttered under his breath. He turned to the door, but moving proved to be too much for him. He slumped down, his helper lowering him to the ground. For an instant, he caught a glimpse of Lillia’s concerned face above him. “Ah. There you are.”

“Are you okay?” Lillia asked, gripping his shoulders with a deep frown. “Arwin? Answer me.”

“Fine,” Arwin said through a yawn. “Just… tired.”

His eyes fluttered shut. Now that Lillia knew he was fine, he could rest. One last errant thought slipped through his mind before sleep took him.

I reached the next level in my Tier. I wonder if I got anything interesting.