Rowan’s eyes lit up at that. “I might just take you up on that offer.” He told Arthur.
I do want to make sure we have a bit of armor to protect us, so I will be focusing on that this afternoon. I also plan on forging something I will need for the bathhouse I plan to work on tomorrow. How are we doing in terms of weaponry Rowan?” Arthur asked.
“Honestly I haven’t made much in the way of weaponry except for a few daggers. There aren’t a whole lot of other fighters currently, so not much that needs to be done.”
Arthur thought about that for a bit. “I guess that means I have time to work on a set of armor for Samson. I need to get all of us some metal bracers at a minimum, and I would like for Samson to be decked out in a good set of protective gear. He took a bit of a beating from that boss last time, but he held his ground. Not only that, but he held it with pretty much no armor of any kind. I can’t wait to see the man with real armor. Vana was also absolutely amazing, and she got herself a new bow and quiver at the dungeon. She will be a real force to be reckoned with. Corianne said she expected to have the first shipment of leather to me today, and I was able to convince her to do the rest of the hides we have all at once and turn them in via work order together. This will give us a large supply quickly for the rest of us.” He said.
“That is a good plan. You can make the armor a lot faster than I with your arcane smithing, and knowing you, I am sure you will want to put some enchantments on them. I can handle some of the more simple items like the arrowheads for now. You get your bathhouse piece made and work on getting that armor together.” Rowan told him.
“Daniel, do me a favor and work with Katherine on ideas to help get our village quality and level improved. Find out what buildings need improvements and repairs in a priority list as well.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll head back to the inn and get started. The girls have the cooking and meal preparation well in hand right now.” Daniel said as he took off toward the inn.
“I’m going to get to work on my items. Do you need anything before I get started?” Arthur asked Rowan.
“No, I am good for now. Do me a favor and check in with me before you head back to the inn, though. I’d like to turn in some of the things I’ve made for work orders.”
“Consider it done,” Arthur said as he walked over to the spare anvil in the place. The first thing he wanted to work on was the idea he had for the bathhouse. Since they didn’t have any type of water system, this thing was going to have to be filled by hand, and, with the size he was planning to make it, he was not about to keep changing out the water. They would never stop carrying water to and fro. Instead, he decided to create a filtration system.
He didn’t have any water magic, so he couldn’t just make a water pump with enchanting. Instead, he decided to use iron and make a long tube about three feet in diameter and eight-foot-long. Each section of this tube would have a specific purpose. As water flowed into it, the first part of the tunnel would heat that water up to kill any bacteria in it. As it rushed to the next part, it would have some of the heat drawn from it to make it a comfortable temperature for bathing, and the final section of the tube would use earth magic to infuse the water with minerals to nourish the skin.
The sapphire chips should be able to hold a sufficient amount of power for these enchantments. He thought he might be able to put in some enchanting that would allow the sorcery to draw and store energy on its own, but he could always supplement the magic in the filter on his own if it ever ran low.
He grabbed a few of the iron ingots and tossed them in the fire. When they got hot, he pulled them out and suspended them with his magic as he pictured the long, slender tunnel he was going to make. He also decided to give the entire thing a bit of an arc. He planned on embedding it near the bottom under a protective layer of stone to prevent people from messing with it and accidentally hurting themselves.
He imagined the shape he wanted and cast the spell. The metal flowed out into a long and thin sheet and then started to fold and roll into a tunnel shape. Once the ends fused, the entire tube bent itself into the arc he wanted, and he was able to pull the excess heat out and set the tunnel to the side.
He had managed to create the control spots on each one where the gems would be embedded and where he would do his enchanting. The project could wait until tomorrow. It was time to start working on some armor. Iron wasn’t the best option, but it was what they had, so he went with it.
Arthur decided to start with the bracers first. They would be pretty easy to do, and he needed to make a set of them for each of them. They would work well for a quick block or two if things came down to close combat. Since he was going to switch to a more melee-oriented role, he needed some. A sturdy pair of bracers may have managed to save him from a lot of damage and pain during his fight when the cat jumped him and bit into his arm.
He grabbed two iron ingots and got them up to heat. He split each of them in half. Bracers were somewhat thin metal and only had to wrap around a forearm, so half of an ingot would be more than enough for each. He wouldn’t be able to finish them until he got some leather to line them, but he could get the steel casings made and ensure the studs were on them.
Since it didn’t cost him anything extra, he was going to make these a little more intricate like he had with Samson’s Shield. There was no reason his team couldn’t look fancy. He designed the bracers with the slightly thicker edges embossed with the intricate scroll-work patterns, the same way he had the shield. He cast the spell and looked at the first example.
You have gained 50 experience in Earth Magic and Fire Magic for successfully casting Crafting Spell: Arcane Forging.
Congratulations, you have successfully created Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Bracer (Unfinished). You have gained 80 experience in Arcane Smithing and Blacksmithing for creating this item.
Congratulations, you have reached level 2 in Arcane Smithing. Increases the stats on items created using this ability by 2%. You kids and your fancy skills.
Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Bracer (Unfinished)
Armor: 20
Block: 6-10
Durability: 75/75
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 0.8 kg
Slot: Crafting Item
Traits: An Intricate Iron Bracer, created using magical techniques. This armor will have more capacity for absorbing magical power. Combine with lining and straps to create Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Bracer.
The piece was pretty lovely. It looked like Arthur finally found something that would give an armor rating as well. He assumed the shield didn’t have an armor rating because it didn’t natively protect anything. It would only block if it were moved into the correct place. Armor, on the other hand, would dampen any damage that made it to the piece. He went ahead and cast his forging spell three more times to make the last of them. Arthur decided to hide experience notifications for now and only see level gains.
Those pieces were done and just needed a little enchanting attention. Arthur couldn’t think of anything he and the girls might wear in terms of metal armor. He planned on trying to stay a bit more flexible. For his armor, iron banded studs were going to be incorporated into leather armor for the mixture of flexibility and durability. He considered the possibility of making metal greaves for himself but thought they might just get in the way. He was sure he would regret that in the future, but hopefully, before too long, he would gain the skill to use a better metal such as steel. That would reduce the weight while making the piece stronger.
He decided to just focus on making Samson what he needed. He chose to make plate gauntlets next, but he didn’t want to make the bulky garbage he’d always seen examples of on the Internet. They barely had flexibility in the hands, and those that did, were only because it was just a solid metal plate mounted on the back of leather gloves. He decided he would make a fully flexible version of it complete with interlocking scale pieces.
He
had seen some examples of it before, on the Internet, when he had searched around. Most of them were the glove style with metal scales that would bend down over the fingers as they closed. This design would have fully enclosed fingers. He would make small cylindrical sections that connected on the sides and would allow the next piece to bend up and down. This would extend all the way to the fingers that would be capped off.
The substantial portion on the back of the hand and the palms could be more significant, although he would have to contour the palm a bit to help grip the weapon in the gauntlet. It might take some getting used to, but he thought it might be the best bet. He would also be able to make the entire thing quickly, and Samson could just slide a glove on his hand before putting it on. The arm portion of it would have to go far enough past the wrist to overlap with the bracers, but he was confident that wouldn’t be a problem.
He threw an ingot in the fire, and, as soon as it was ready, he pictured the gauntlet in detail with its intricate connections. He cast the spell and watched the metal flatten, wrap-around, and mold to the different pieces. Once the basic structure was the right shape, the familiar line of power took over and started defining the features. When it finished, he examined the final result.
Intricate Mage-crafted Articulating Iron Gauntlet (Unfinished)
Armor: 25
Attack: 5-8
Durability: 80/80
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 0.8 kg
Slot: Crafting Item
Traits: An Intricate Articulating Iron Gauntlet, created using magical techniques. This armor will have more capacity for absorbing magical power. Combine with a glove to create Intricate Mage-crafted Articulating Iron Gauntlet.
He was sure doing more complicated and intricate items meant he would get higher experience gains. That gauntlet he just made would have taken an ordinary smith a very long time if they were even able to do it. He went ahead and made another but made sure he pictured it for the other hand. Wouldn’t help to have two right-handed gauntlets.
Congratulations, you have reached level 3 in Arcane Smithing. Increases the stats on items created using this ability by 4%. A man’s worth is measured by the size of his mana pool.
Arthur then considered what to make next. After some deliberation, he decided to make a set of greaves. Greaves would be a better alternative to a full set of armored pants for now. He would also make sure to create some sabatons to ensure they fit well together, and the armor plating overlapped correctly. The next few minutes were spent picturing how he wanted the sabatons and the greaves to look. The design wasn’t going to have the ordinarily smooth front seen in many examples. He was more of a fan of the fantasy style ones. He decided the greaves would have the slightly raised edges and a raised middle ridge to give it the look of two fuller grooves running along the front.
For the sabatons, he decided to use a standard iron shell, but he modified it, so the boot had a solid bottom and front, and the back piece was removable. He wanted Samson to be able to put his foot in the boot and then put the backplate on and latch it on to the side. Arthur even figured he could build the latch directly onto the metal with his skill. He decided to use a standard toggle style latch with a few metal studs on the other piece to help draw the parts together. This would allow it to be adjusted to multiple sizes.
For the greaves, he decided to make a flexible knee cover with overlapping metal plates to allow it to bend but only to cover the front of the knee. He also determined the shin cover could include only the front as well, and he could use leather straps to cinch them in place. He made sure that all of his pieces had the necessary rivet holes to connect the lining and straps. The ingot was heated, and the spell was cast.
Congratulations, you have reached level 5 in Blacksmithing. You are granted a 12% bonus to forging speed. Pound away, all day.
Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Greave (Unfinished)
Armor: 20
Durability: 80/80
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 1.0 kg
Slot: Crafting Item
Traits: An Intricate Iron Greave, created using magical techniques. This armor will have more capacity for absorbing magical power. Combine with lining to create Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Greave.
The result was pleasing, so a matching one was made for the other leg. The sabaton design was next. After ensuring the ingots were in the fire and ready, Arthur pictured what he wanted. He split the first ingot but, instead of doing it in half, he only took a third of the metal off to make the back shell, and the rest would make the front. Both pieces were still transformed with a single spell. He had to create both parts at the same time to make the entire unfinished sabaton. Mainly because he had to make sure the latches and the back lined up correctly. His spell completed, and he held both pieces in his hand. The fit of the parts was almost perfect.
Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Sabaton (Unfinished)
Armor: 25
Durability: 75/75
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 1.2 kg
Slot: Crafting Item
Traits: An Intricate Iron Sabaton, created using magical techniques. This armor will have more capacity for absorbing magical power. Combine with lining to create Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Sabaton.
This suit of armor was turning out to be pretty incredible. Arthur hoped Samson truly enjoyed it. It would look even better once he got the needed leather and did the enchanting. He went ahead and created the other sabaton.
Congratulations, you have reached level 4 in Arcane Smithing. Increases the stats on items created using this ability by 6%. Try and work up a little more sweat in the forge.
Now that he had both of those done, he decided it was time to see what goodies came in the smithing talents for him. He pulled up the talent tree.
You have 2 unused Talent Points.
Talent
Description
Tier 1
In the Flame (0/5)
Allows greater control of the flame while smithing. This gives you a 2% chance per talent to increase the rarity level by one.
Weight Reduction (0/5)
Decreases the weight of finished materials by 5% per talent
Material Savings (0/5)
Every item you create uses 5% less metal per talent
The options were not terrible. Any of the options were viable, but Arthur decided he wanted to put one point in Weight Reduction first. Since all they had to use currently was iron, it would help trim some weight of the items. He looked at the next tier of options.
You have 1 unused Talent Point.
Talent
Description
Tier 1
In the Flame (0/5)
Allows greater control of the flame while smithing. This gives you a 2% chance per talent to increase the rarity level by one.
Weight Reduction (1/5)
Decreases the weight of finished materials by 5% per talent
Material Savings (0/5)
Every item you create uses 5% less metal per talent
Tier 2
Weapons of War (0/5)
Weapons you create have 5% increased attack and durability.
Power of Defense (0/5)
Armor you create has 5% increased armor and durability.
Well, there wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but all of those talents would be beneficial in the long run. Arthur decided to put his second skill point in Power of Defense. It would help a bit in the armor he was making. There were still a few pieces left to do. He decided to move on and figured he needed three more things, and Samson would be set. The set was missing a breastplate, the pauldrons, and a helmet.
The breastplate and pauldrons would be combined into one piece for this set of armor. He could attach layered plates of metal on the shoulders to fold down over the shoulders for protection. He could make it a two-piece breastplate like
he did the sabatons. He could have the front and back latch together using multiple clasps, and it would be relatively quick and easy to get on.
He threw three ingots in the fire. He would need one for the front, one for the back, and one for the shoulder plates on both sides. He designed the front piece to wrap over the shoulders so the shoulder plates could be permanently mounted to it. The back plate would just enclose him.
Arthur pushed his will in and lifted all three pieces, and he cast his spell and watched two of the ingots stretch out and form the front and back plates. Some intricate scroll-work and the raised edge around the arms and the bottom was added. The third ingot split in half, and then each half flattened and formed solid sheets. From there, they divided into the smaller plates that curved themselves to match the contour of a shoulder. They fused where needed and attached to the front part of the breastplate. All of the pieces combined and completed, and they fell into his waiting hands. Arthur wasn’t expecting the weight of it but was able to brace himself before he dropped it. He looked at the stats on the item.
Intricate Mage-crafted Iron Breastplate (Unfinished)
Dravincia Page 35