Rise of the Living Forge

Chapter 71: Fits

After Rodrick left, Arwin got back to work. He re-heated and split the sheet of metal apart into workable pieces, then started to think on how he would form them into armor. He ran his hands over the metal sheets, trying to feel if any of them had desires that [Stonesinger] would pick up on. To his disappointment, there was no such luck.

It wasn’t a surprise, though.

That’s fine. It would be weird if I got such an intense vision every single time I tried to craft anything.

“I’ll be more forthright, then,” Arwin told the sheets of metal. “Do you want to be a chestpiece?”

He didn’t get a response. The metal seemed largely indifferent, but it definitely wanted to be something. It wasn’t exactly a resounding round of applause, but it was the best he had to work with at the time being.

Even if I can’t get Lillia the best set of armor to ever exist, even something would be better than nothing. Might as well get started with things and see where they take me. I’ve done all the diligence I can to hopefully make sure this is a high-quality piece, but something tells me it isn’t going to turn out any better than Average.

Arwin set the metal back down, his forehead creased in thought. There was no answer waiting for him beyond the one that he would find when he finished the piece. He would have much preferred to have been doing this under different circumstances, but nobody could ever choose the hand the world dealt to them. The only thing anyone could ever truly have control over was the way they played their cards.

I should go find Lillia and find out her thoughts. I wonder where she is. I swear Rodrick went to get her ages ago.

Arwin turned away from the anvil only to find that he wasn’t alone in the room. Lillia sat against the back wall, watching him work silently. His heart nearly jumped out of his throat and Arwin coughed into his fist to hide his shock.

“I didn’t realize you were already there.”

“You really get into a flow state, don’t you?” Lillia asked with a small laugh. “I’ve been here for at least an hour.”

“Hiding?” Arwin asked hopefully.

“Not even slightly. Just walked right in and sat down.” Lillia shifted and stood up, brushing the dust off her backside off as she walked over to look at what Arwin had been working on. “It’s pretty.”

“Just a piece of metal right now. I’m just hoping it doesn’t end up getting a detrimental trait and end up being useless. Then again, I could always reforge it.”

“You can’t control them either, huh?” Lillia asked.

“Either?” Arwin blinked. “I didn’t realize you had more than just straight buffs from your class.”

“Eh. They kind of vary, but they change day to day based on the food I’ve made and the people in the tavern,” Lillia said. “I haven’t really figured out what the metrics are, though. I thought it would be directly related to how good my food was, but I’ve gotten some shit buffs when I’ve made some of my best dishes. At least, I thought they were my best. I don’t know. It feels like I’m trying to decode a message without a cypher.”

“Tell me about it,” Arwin said. “Right now, my biggest problem is figuring out how to actually make this. I can’t just let the Mesh guide me, but I can’t completely freehand it either. What do you think?”

Just accepting what I get is a great way to get stuck only making Unique items and never being able to guarantee exactly what I need.

“Me?” Lillia blinked. “I’m not a smith.”

“Well, yeah. But it’s your armor, and it’s going to be pretty unique. No guiding thoughts?”

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“How close to leather can you get a piece of armor? Something that doesn’t obstruct my movements would be best, I guess,” Lillia said, rubbing her chin. “I know that really isn’t all that useful.”

Arwin focused his thoughts on trying to make something lighter – something specifically for Lillia. He’d done it for Reya, although to a lesser degree of intention. He didn’t just need something that would fit onto Lillia. He needed something that was made for her. An idea started to take form.

Focus on defending vital areas, while leaving the other ones with thinner layers of metal. That would take some weight off the armor, even if it doesn’t end up getting the enchantments I’m hoping for.

Arwin turned to Lillia and held out his hammer. She took a hold of it, but Arwin didn’t let go. He adjusted her grip on the weapon’s haft and she stiffened for a moment before turning her gaze to the metal.

“So how do I do this?”

“Swing it where I tell you to,” Arwin replied, returning the metal to the fire to heat it. He moved to stand behind her. “I’ll help you guide the hammer. We’ll start slowly and you’ll figure it out from there.”

Lillia let out a grunt that Arwin presumed to be a sound of understanding and not confusion. It might not have been the most efficient way to do things, but it was the best way he could think to let her help without letting things get too off the tracks - and he could still effectively control where the hammer fell, so there wouldn't be a risk of poor quality forging. Not any poorer than normal, at least.

“Just tell me where to hit once the metal is ready,” Lillia said.

***

Hours slipped by. It would have been a lie to claim they were the most efficient team. Beating a piece of metal to get rid of impurities was one thing. Fine shaping was another. Still, they made progress, and it felt far better than Arwin suspected it would have if he did it on his own.

They eventually found themselves rewarded with a chestpiece that actually looked like it held a good amount of promise. It was thin and sleek, with so little metal in some portions that he was a little worried it would be too thin. All the vital areas had extra layers hammered in over them, giving the armor rippling waves like it was a sculpt of the ocean. It was nearly finished and was only awaiting the final touches before the Mesh could enter it.

Arwin had intentionally ignored some of the Mesh’s suggestions that would have made the armor heftier and more effective – whilst also taking it farther away from what Lillia had wanted. The result seemed like it had worked but doubt still lingered in his mind.

Are our changes actually going to make this better? Or is it just arrogance that I know better than the Mesh? I feel like trying to improve myself is the right strategy. There’s no way the Mesh would give me a class where I just sit and follow directions. Creating something is about doing it yourself.

But, at the same time, are we just ignoring what the metal actually wants to be?

“What do you think?” Arwin asked.

“It looks beautiful,” Lillia said. “As nice as a lot of the armor I wore before the explosion. Maybe nicer than some. I can’t believe we made that.”

“Well, let’s let it cool for a bit so you don’t get burned. I’m immune to the heat from my [Soul Flame], but you certainly aren’t,” Arwin said, setting the armor to the side. “Do you mind sitting around for a bit while I make a meal?”

It hasn’t been that long since I last ate something magical, but better safe than sorry.

“A meal? You mean –”

“Yeah,” Arwin said. “A magical item to eat. Probably a bracelet.”

He still had the bracelet he’d made some time ago while Zeke had watched, but its abilities were a little too useful to waste on a normal meal if he could avoid it. There was a different plan in store for that particular bracelet.

“I’d love nothing more,” Lillia said, gesturing eagerly. “It’s basically cooking. Well, not really. But for you it is. Go on. I’ll watch.”

She was a bit more eager than Arwin had expected, but he didn’t let that stop him. He took some other metal and set about fashioning it into a bracelet over the course of the next thirty or so minutes. His reward was an Average Quality bracelet with a [Brittle] detrimental trait, but Verdant Blaze didn’t even recognize its formation. It wasn’t a bad bracelet, but Arwin got the sinking suspicion that Awakened weapons worked the same way that people did.

If it didn’t have at least some degree of challenge in forging something, the weapon wouldn’t grow stronger. It only cared about improving. Given how the Mesh worked, that really wasn’t all that much of a surprise, but it was still a mild annoyance.

Arwin bit into the bracelet, making a mental note to avoid getting hit anytime in the near future. He really didn’t want to find out what [Brittle] would do to him if he got smacked.

“Weird,” Lillia proclaimed.

“Thank you,” Arwin said with a chuckle. “If it makes you feel better, it doesn’t taste very good. Just… metal.”

“So my food is better?”

“I don’t think there’s a contest. The only reason I eat this is that I need to.”

“I suppose that’s a fair reason so I can let you slide,” Lillia said with a wry smile. She nodded over to the armor. “Do you think that’s ready to try on now?”

“I’d say so,” Arwin said, testing it with the back of a hand. He picked the armor up and held it out to her. “Let’s see how it fits on you, shall we?”