Rise of the Living Forge

Verdant Inferno sprung into Arwin’s hands the moment his foot passed through the doorway to the Infernal Armory. The weapon had summoned itself before he’d even had a chance to call for it.

A part of Arwin couldn’t help but wonder just how much more intelligent — and powerful — the weapon had gotten over the past days. There had been a time where it couldn’t do anything other than send him vague desires of what it wanted.

Now it could literally call itself at its own volition… and if his plans went correctly, then he was about to make it stronger. A lot stronger. Just how much, even Arwin himself wasn’t certain. He hadn’t seen what the Cores were truly capable of yet.

For that matter, he hadn’t seen what he himself was now capable of. He’d gotten a lot more powerful over the past days. Arwin could still feel the heat emanating from the molten ocean of lava waiting within his soul.

Between that and the new crafting techniques of imprinting someone’s soul into the item he was making for them, there was so much that Arwin wanted to test that even a month wouldn’t have been enough time to prepare.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

But he didn’t have a month.

Arwin had three days, and so he got to work.

The Infernal Armory crackled to life as he closed the door to the back room behind him. Black tendrils snaked from the walls and Arwin pulled his shirt away to ready himself. They slammed into his back, driving into his skin and connecting him to the smithy around him.

Verdant Inferno hummed in excitement within his grip. It shook with such intensity that the weapon nearly ripped itself out of his hands. Arwin let out a chuckle.

The hammer froze like it had been caught in an eternal winter. Arwin shook his head and leaned it against the wall. He could have sent it back into his soul with [Arsenal], but he didn’t want it summoning itself while he was working.

Red mist twisted up from the ground across from Arwin. Invisible footsteps passed through it, approaching him as the Infernal Armory’s presence made itself known.

“We are finally working on worthy projects,” the armory said. It came to a stop beside Arwin to look down at the anvil before him. “Another Core, yes?”

“Another Core,” Arwin confirmed. He cast a glance back at his hammer. It had been a long time since he’d last studied the weapon’s full status sheet, but he brought it forth with a thought. He needed to make sure he didn’t mistakenly miss anything before he got to work.

Verdant Inferno: Unique Quality

[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes and every magical item it is used to craft, it will grow slightly more powerful. It has completed its bond with Arwin Tyrr.

[Shieldbreaker]: This weapon hungers to destroy. Every consecutive blow against the same target will deal increased damage. Changing targets or blocking an attack with this weapon will reset any power that Shieldbreaker has generated.

[Burning Metal]: This weapon has consumed [Soul Flame] to the point where its metal is permanently infused with its power. It will drink in [Soul Flame], increasing the amount and heat of the flame in its blows with it at the cost of magical energy.

[Incomplete Core]: The crystal in this weapon has remembered old desires. This weapon’s need for blood is matched only by its hunger for heat. This trait will update when a core containing sufficient blood or heat is sacrificed to this weapon, changing its other traits permanently.

[Unique]: This item was created for Arwin Tyrr, and it will never know another owner. This item will attempt to burn anyone who attempts to wield it other than its owner. Information about this item may be hidden from others after it has bonded.

“Right. So I’ve got two options for the core,” Arwin murmured to himself. “Blood or lava. I think the answer to that is pretty straightforward. Verdant Inferno is already bloodthirsty enough as it is now — and I’ve got quite a leaning toward the lava as things are right now. It fits too perfectly to pass up.”

“I agree,” the Infernal Armory said.

“Can you even do that?” Arwin blinked. “I was under the impression you didn’t know anything that I don’t. Has that changed?”

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Steps pushed through the mist. The Armory didn’t answer Arwin immediately. Then the mist twisted as if a figure within it had shrugged.

“I… converse with the Devil’s Den. You know this. It does not know much that Lillia does not, but it has given me some inclinations. I believe lava suits you more than the path of bloodshed. Creation and destruction go hand in hand. Lava bears the potential of both, while blood can only kill.”

“That’s a good way to think about it,” Arwin admitted. “I was just thinking I’d go with lava because it felt right. You have a much more logical reason. Now I feel a bit dumb.”

“The greatest artists work from instinct as much as logic.”

“I don’t know if I’d say that I’m—”

“I was not talking about you. It was simply a statement. Both you and the greatest artists must also shit, but that does not make you kin.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Arwin let out a snort and reached up to his head, where he yanked a hair free. “Shall we get to this, then?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

A slot opened in the floor beside Arwin and a pedestal rose up from within it, bearing the crumbled pieces of several green crystals. The same crystals that had gone into Verdant Inferno. Arwin blinked.

“We still had some of this?”

“I saved everything that you fed me. What better to make the core for Verdant Inferno than the magical gem that grants it much of its power? You already have experience working with non-metal objects. It should be viable. Would you prefer a metal instead? Our resources are getting low, but I have some.”

Arwin shook his head. “No, it’s a good idea. I’ve worked with the crystals before. This should work perfectly. Good idea.”

The Infernal Armory remained silent as Arwin scooped the crumbled crystals off the pedestal with one hand. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, steadying himself. Then he extended his other hand.

A thick black bowl emerged from the ground before Arwin.

He reached within himself. An ocean of magma laid in wait — and Arwin let its power free. The air warped in haze as burning heat bit into it. [Soul Flame] roared over his palm as black magma bubbled up. It poured down his fingers and dripped into the bowl.

The veins running through the room pulsed. Energy ignited deep within them and raced through the room, growing brighter as more lava poured from Arwin’s hand and filled the bow. Arwin nearly stumbled as the room shuddered.

A black vein shot from the wall and wrapped around Verdant Inferno, lifting the hammer into the air and bringing it over to float beside Arwin. It only took a flicker of a thought for him to make contact with the weapon.

Unlike the other materials he’d worked with before, Verdant Inferno was ready. He didn’t have to ask it for help in making its Core. The hammer was well ahead of him.

Arwin’s lips pulled up in a smile. “I’ve kept you waiting long enough, haven’t I? Let’s do this.”

He reached into the lava bubbling in the bowl, scooping up a thick handful, and brought it up to his mouth. [Soul Flame] coated his features as he tipped his head back and poured the lava in.

It bubbled and squirmed as his teeth ground against it. Power rolled off Arwin’s body with every movement of his jaw. Despite how soft the lava managed to look, it was like trying to eat rocks — and now that he thought about it, that was quite literally what he was doing.

Fortunately, his body was magically reinforced by both the Mesh and his titles. The lava was already well connected to his soul, and every chew deepened that connection until it was little more than an extension of himself.

Arwin pulled the prepared lava from his mouth and drove the materials into its depths, coating them with [Soul Flame] to protect the crystal and his hair from the immense heat. Droplets of sweat rolled down his forehead and neck as he worked.

Intent from the Infernal Armory poured into him, helping keep the process stable as he worked the impurities free from the crystal. What previously would have taken him nearly an hour of effort and multiple attempts was done in mere minutes.

The materials were prepared for the real work to begin.

Arwin reached for Verdant Inferno’s magic. The hammer responded, thrusting power at him in a wave. He twisted the power together with his own, kneading the crystal like pizza dough as he infused it with magic.

Arwin worked the crystal relentlessly. The Infernal Armory and his hammer kept him supplied with a constant source of power as he squished everything into a ball, wrapping it tightly with layers of intent.

Time slipped by.

It was difficult to tell just how long. Time was something of a foreign concept within the walls of the Infernal Armory. All that mattered was his work.

And while that work was difficult, Arwin was surprised to find just how naturally it came to him. Perhaps he had simply gotten stronger, but it almost felt as if the Core were making itself and his hands were just the tool it had chosen for the job.

That did nothing to stop the advance of exhaustion. Arwin could feel his magical reserves draining away as he poured everything he had into the core. Verdant Inferno and the Armory were also weakening. There was only so much strength between them — but it was enough.

Arwin’s heavy breaths and the crackle of [Soul Flame] broke the silence that had settled over the smithy. He held his hands out before him. A smooth, green and orange ball shimmered within his palms.

It was a little larger than a marble and glistened with a burning energy like the eye of some infernal beast. Power emanated from it in waves that buzzed against Arwin’s skin like electricity.

The core was finished.

Arwin swallowed heavily. His heart beat faster in his chest as he wrapped his hand around the hilt of Verdant Inferno.

He hoisted it before himself. The head of the weapon split open down the center, revealing a spherical indent in its very core. Arwin stared at it for a long second.

Then he brought the core forward and slotted it into place. The hammer shuddered. He barely managed to yank his hand back before the halves of its head slammed back together. A wall of power slammed into Arwin with such force that it knocked the breath from his lungs and ripped the hammer from his hand. He staggered a step back — but the hammer remained suspended in the air, floating as power began to twist around it.

Verdant Inferno was changing.

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