Rise of the Living Forge

Chapter 127: A choice of power

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.

The day crawled on and night swallowed the sky, and still Arwin worked. He slid straps through the clasps and added designs into the greaves – not so much as to draw attention, but enough to make them both look and feel complete.

And then, finally, his work was done. He lifted his hand from the glistening metal. His eyes traced the swirls of ivory running through the silvery metal like tendrils of pale flame. It glistened in the light of the hearth.

The Mesh erupted forth.

[Ivory Executioner Greaves: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.

Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.

Arwin grinned. He’d finally reached Apprentice 5 – which meant it was time to select a skill to specialize in. With all the Achievements he’d gathered that upgraded the quality of his next skills, he was greatly looking forward to seeing the options that he had to choose from.

But, before he could get around to that he turned his gaze to the greaves that he’d just finished to see what rewards his efforts had sown.

[Ivory Executioner Greaves: Rare Quality]

[Dread Momentum]: Forged in the image of the Ivory Executioner, this item hungers for blood. After this item’s wielder kills an opponent, it will draw a portion of their magical energy into itself and convert it into movement speed for its wearer that lasts until their next blow or natural dissipation. Energy gained increases with consecutive kills within a short period of time.

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

[Executioner’s Silence]: This item’s properties are concealed from others.

[Armor of the Executioner]: This is a set item of [?] pieces. When the entire set is worn, a concealed property will be unlocked.

Arwin’s grin grew as he saw the last two lines. The Mesh had recognized the greaves as part of his set. They functioned very similarly to the helm in that their ability only activated after he got a kill. He wasn’t sure if that counted as a detrimental trait or not, but he suspected that it did. Having equipment that only started working after defeating someone else was a bit of a risk.

The reward was more than worth it. The greaves were simple, but they seemed incredibly effective. He got faster with every kill for the duration of one blow. It was an item meant for dealing with large groups of relatively weak enemies.

If he approached battles strategically, it would let him ramp up aggressively throughout the fight. Taking out opponents in order of weakest to strongest would let him – at least in theory – steamroll through the stronger enemies before they could properly defend themselves. It was an item entirely focused on momentum, just as the description noted.

Arwin nodded to himself as he slipped the greaves on to ensure they sat properly on his body. He was unsurprised to find that the fit was perfect. The mesh had helped him make them specifically for himself, so it would have been odd if they were uncomfortable.

That didn’t stop him from doing a few test moves, just to make sure nothing felt amiss. Everything felt great. More than pleased with the results of his work, he activated [Arsenal] and bound himself to the greaves before dismissing them.

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.

Name: Arwin Tyrr

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.

[Awaken]

[Molten Novice]

[Soul Flame]

[Arsenal]

[The Hungering Maw]

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.

His other good option was [Awaken]. It would have been his first choice if not for the unsettling potential drawbacks of advancing it too quickly. But, even with the risk it posed, it was still immensely tempting.

But… upgrading a Title – that was new. The upgrade came from a Challenge called Curb the Hunger, which implied it would be related to controlling [The Hungering Maw]. If upgrading it gave him more insight or control over the ability, it would be invaluable.

Then again, there was the chance that upgrading it would just result in a more powerful maw that demanded even stronger items to let him survive in exchange for some other boon. In that case, choosing it would be the same as signing his own death warrant.

Arwin crossed his arms and stared at the glowing letters before him. They shimmered innocently, lying in wait so he could determine his future.

Which one do I choose?