Some received the first weapon that called to them. Others took a half-dozen tries.
Sola watched them in silence. Across Emerilia, other vaults were being opened as warriors were allowed in to once again take up these Weapons of Power. She took a shaky breath, smiling as she looked at the room. She looked upon her own Weapons of Power that were stored within.
The Dwarves had truly opened up their holy places to outsiders. It showed not only their trust in others, but their drive to work toward a future together with their allies.
***
Dave hammered a red-hot piece of metal into position before using his smithing art. The two metals seemed to fuse together, greatly increasing their strength.
Kol passed him a blowtorch. Dave heated up another piece of metal, ready to join the new components together.
Dwarven Master Smiths glanced over in interest as their apprentices stopped their work to admire Dave’s work.
In front of him, on a series of chains, was a set of Devastator armor. All of the components that Dave had fit together had been pulled out of their slots.
Knowing that it all fit together, he was now working with a blowtorch to connect each component individually. It was a complicated and a time-intensive pursuit. He had finished the legs on the armor over the space of six hours. Grime and sweat covered Dave as he put in the last component located in the legs.
He turned off the blowtorch and handed it to Kol as he sheathed his hammer.
He opened his character sheet. Now was as good a time as any to increase his stats.
Character Sheet
Name:
David Grahslagg
Gender:
Male
Level:
214
Class:
Dwarven Master Smith, Friend of the Grey God, Bleeder, Librarian, Aleph Engineer, Weapons Master, Champion Slayer, Skill Creator, Mine Manager, Master of Space and Time, Master of Gravitational Anomalies
Race:
Human/Dwarf
Alignment:
Chaotic Neutral
Unspent points: 100
Health:
42,300
Regen:
22.56/s
Mana:
14,880
Regen:
52.30/s
Stamina:
4,740
Regen:
45.50/s
Vitality:
423
Endurance:
1,128
Intelligence:
1,488
Willpower:
1,046
Strength:
474
Agility:
910
After these stat points from increasing my level are gone, it’s probably all going to be up to the classes I have to increase my base stats.
He’d had so many stat points saved up that now it was coming to an end, he felt a bit of nostalgia.
With a small smile, he placed twenty stat points into Agility and another forty into Willpower. He was going to need it soon enough.
He confirmed the stat placement and watched his character sheet change.
Character Sheet
Name:
David Grahslagg
Gender:
Male
Level:
226
Class:
Dwarven Master Smith, Friend of the Grey God, Bleeder, Librarian, Aleph Engineer, Weapons Master, Champion Slayer, Skill Creator, Mine Manager, Master of Space and Time, Master of Gravitational Anomalies
Race:
Human/Dwarf
Alignment:
Chaotic Neutral
Unspent points: 40
Health:
42,300
Regen:
22.56/s
Mana:
14,880
Regen:
54.30/s
Stamina:
4,740
Regen:
46.50/s
Vitality:
423
Endurance:
1,128
Intelligence:
1,488
Willpower:
1,086
Strength:
474
Agility:
930
He squatted down and grabbed the legs, lifting them with a grunt. They were almost entirely metal. He put them within a massive furnace.
His own Abscondita armor glowed, dissipated the heat slightly so that he could put his hands inside the furnace.
Prepared Mithril inserts were placed within the legs. Dave used his smithing art to wrap the Mithril sheet over the components. His consciousness moved within the metal, smoothing out weaknesses in the metal and checked the components again.
Satisfied, he took the armored leg sections of steel and placed them over the Mithril layer.
He once again pulled out his hammer. The sound of hammer blows rang out as Dave formed the rough sections closer to the legs. He first made sections for the thigh and calf; he took more time with the feet sections.
Once that was completed, he turned to the hip, knee, and ankle joints.
Dave didn’t notice the others watching. With his high Affinity for the different magics and his high Mana pool, the magical world seemed to bend to his will. Air was pulled in from the surrounding area, creating white streams that led into the furnace. The flames became a deeper, richer color as they moved like living snakes to heat the different areas of the armor as Dave wished.
The other Dwarven Master Smiths also stopped what they were doing to watch Dave work.
He hammered the last sections of armor into place, imbuing his body with strength-enhancing Earth magic. He turned the legs over in the furnace.
He took more prepared sections of steel armor, hammering them into shape and connecting them to the sections that covered the front of the legs. With each hammer blow, the air around the furnace was disturbed.
Every person who saw Dave’s work felt their heart quiver in excitement and awe. They were all smiths of the highest caliber, but here they were reminded that there was always someone better, always a new way to push themselves. Instead of jealousy, it ignited the creative fires within those watching.
Dave roughly formed the sections to the leg. Once again he sheathed his hammer as the air turned into a torrent and the flames poured forth with more energy.
Kol raised his hand and stepped backward, increasing the distance between him and the furnace as its heat reached crazy levels.
Dave stood in front of this raging inferno without flinching. Metal formed on his hands as he adjusted his barrier and heat dispersion of his armor.
His hands rested on both of the legs. Dave pushed out his senses into the metal. The roughly formed metal smoothed out and grew, connecting the front and back sections into solid parts.
The intricate hip, knee, and ankle joints became smoother and stronger. The metal took on a sheen as his Dark Affinity worked with his smithing art to remove weaknesses from the legs.
Dave moved through section by section, checking the most minute details. Pleased with what he had found, a deeper, much more powerful strength seemed to pass from Dave to the armor.
People took in a sharp breath. The Dwarven Master Smiths’ eyes shined as they noticed the signs of a person making a Weapon of Power.
Those who weren’t Dwarven Master Smiths didn’t know all that was going on, but through the reactions of the Master Smiths they could make conclusions.
Dave opened up his eyes, his breathing a bit faster as he looked extremely tired.
He picked up the legs. The furnace calmed down as Dave hauled them out of the furnace. With his magic, he cooled the legs as he carried them to the rack he had in the side of his workshop.
He put the legs down and looked at them for a moment. The black steel legs seemed to exude power. Dave wiped the sweat from his forehead. Grabbing a waterskin, he drank deeply.
He pulled out a Mana and Stamina potion. Energy once again filled h
im as his eyes moved from the legs to the chest section.
Dave put the potion bottles and waterskin away. “Okay, chest section next.”
Kol passed him a component from those lined up on the side of the rack and the magical blowtorch.
Dave gave him a nod of thanks and used the blowtorch on the armor shell and the component. He passed it back and unhooked his hammer. Once again the sounds of metal being beaten into submission rang out in the workshop. After the hammer hits stopped, Dave closed his eyes, his smithing art once again fusing the components further to the armor.
The more he did with his hammer, the less he had to do with his Willpower and Intelligence intensive soul smith smithing art.
Piece by piece, the different coded components were added into the chest cavity.
The outside world bore no interest to Dave as he threw himself into his work. He only stopped to eat, drink, and use the restroom. With his high Endurance, he was able to stay awake for four days as he worked unceasingly.
Through the night, if someone were to go near the smithy, they would hear a hammer ringing out in the darkness.
Kol stayed with Dave, making sure that he looked after himself while also supplying him with materials and aid.
On the morning of the fifth day, the entire upper floor of the smithy was silent as everyone stood around Dave’s workshop, watching.
He had commanded the soul gem furnace to grow just to fit his project.
Within the furnace laid a ten-foot-tall set of black polished armor.
Even as the flames danced over it, its sharp angles seemed to reflect the flames’ light. There were no seams on the outside except for where the joints lay. Even these joints were thick and strong, with protective armored caps.
Dave used his gravity manipulation to move the head into place while his hands were on the armor’s chest. With his soul smithing, he easily made the final connections between the head and the rest of the armor.
With the final piece connected, the armor seemed to thrum with energy.
Once again the dense energy of Dave’s soul was released. This time, instead of returning to Dave, it seemed to link the other energies that Dave had deposited into the different sections.
The armor seemed to exude an aura of power and strength, marking it as a Weapon of Power. No other weapons would give off such an aura.
Dave used his gravity magic to pull the armor out, the furnace’s flames returning to normal.
Heat shimmered off the armor but it didn’t even show a red spot. It was as hot as a normal furnace.
Dave quickly used his abilities with fire to pull the heat from the armor while still retaining the strength of the armor. Dave locked it into the rack it had been assembled on part by part for four days.
Everyone looked at the armor with respect in their eyes.
“Well, I think I need a shower before I work on the next one.” Dave looked haggard.
“You and me both.” Kol coughed slightly.
They were covered in a layer of black soot. They looked like a mess, with only their eyes seeming to glow within their dirty appearance.
***
The fifth day after Jung Lee had been teleported into the laboratory, he woke up. He found that his magic was greatly suppressed still, but the gravity that kept him locked in place had been removed.
He was still within the odd box with glowing runes and pillars along each face.
Though he was no longer in the teleportation array.
His senses sunk within him as he searched out for the Free Affinity spirits.
Instead of raging through his body, they seemed to be waiting, like guard dogs. They preened under his attention, acting like soft puppies, but Jung Lee felt the power behind them. Their force ready to be used against anyone who attacked their master.
Jung Lee was stunned. For centuries, he had fought these Affinities, but now they waited for his command, eager to work for him. Jung Lee felt his strength was much greater than it had ever been. He opened and closed his hand before forming a fist. Silent tears fell down his face. He was free!
A door into the cell opened. He used his analysis skill. The man was called Malsour.
“Looks like you got those spirits under control. If you’d like, I can turn off the suppressors. I’ve never heard of someone with tamed Free Affinity spirits within their body but I think that you’ll feel one hell of a lot stronger once I remove the restraints. Might be best to take things slow and get used to them.” Malsour smiled.
“Thank you.” Jung Lee rotated on the floor, kowtowing to Malsour.
“Don’t worry about it,” Malsour said, quickly trying to diffuse Jung Lee’s thanks.
Jung Lee looked up at Malsour with tears in his eyes and a smile that lit up the room.
Malsour coughed slightly; the pure and open emotions on Jung Lee’s face made his heart twist for the man in front of him. He gave Jung Lee a smile and then cancelled the magical suppression field.
Jung Lee let out a sigh. Immediately the room was filled with a powerful and dominating aura.
Malsour had a stunned look on his face. He had only felt a similar aura in strength from his mother Denur.
If Jung Lee had wished him ill will, he could have easily stunned him with his aura. Instead, Malsour felt the genuine thanks and relief within the aura, making his body relax as he took a deep breath.
Six colored orbs rotated around Jung Lee. They became bigger and bigger, spreading out until they were in a circle around Jung Lee. In a flash, they stopped moving and transformed into the six Affinity spirits.
These eight-foot-tall creatures made from pure energy kneeled as they faced Jung Lee, as if warriors waiting for their commander’s orders. Ready to carry out whatever he asked.
“You’re able to make the spirits materialize outside of your body?” Malsour murmured to himself.
“It does seem so.” Jung Lee stood slowly. Every motion he took seemed to be pre-planned, as if making the most of every single motion.
For a man who had not been able to move except to fight those that made it into his vicinity, regaining the ability to move freely was a luxury all in itself.
His movements also showed the strength that lay within him. As if he were a tiger, constantly stalking his prey.
The Affinities turned to streaks of light and entered Jung Lee once again. He called out flames, streams of water, enhanced his body with Earth and Dark Affinity magics. Each and every spell was simple as it was powerful. None of the Mana leaked out, neither raising the temperature of the room, nor its humidity.
Every spell was completely contained to the point that although Malsour could feel they were terrifyingly strong, he couldn’t truly gauge the amount of Mana that was placed within each of these spells.
“I will indeed need some time to get used to these changes,” Jung Lee said.
“Well, first, let’s get you some food and a shower. Then we can talk about what has been happening the last couple of centuries.” Malsour smiled.
“I wonder if the history books would be able to recount all that I have missed,” Jung Lee said with a short laugh.
“Well, I’m actually a bit older than you and while I, too, was out of the loop for quite a while, I was able to figure out most of what happened in the time we were locked away.” Malsour smiled.
Jung Lee was a powerful force, but with his mannerisms and actions, Malsour trusted him. He didn’t want to have to lie to the man as soon as he had regained his freedom. Doing that would only make the path toward friendship that much harder.
“Oh, you are also another ancient person?” Jung Lee looked at Malsour closely.
“You could say that.” Malsour’s eyes changed to have slits within them as his arm extended into a scaled claw.
Jung Lee’s eyes went wide. “You’re a Dragon?”
“Your observation skills are pretty impressive.” Malsour laughed. Few knew that Dragons could take on Human appearance. Even seeing different li
mbs that belonged on a Dragon, most people couldn’t put it together. Yet, Jung Lee had been able to do it within moments.
“I sense you are of the Dark Affinity. Malsour, you are one of the first born Dragons,” Jung Lee said, piecing together what he knew with what he remembered from lifetimes ago.
“At your service.” Malsour smiled and gave a small bow.
“It seems that Emerilia has become a much more interesting place while I have been gone,” Jung Lee said with a sad smile.
Malsour smiled back. Jung Lee had been a Human; with the Affinity spirits, his life had been greatly extended. Nearly everyone and everything that he remembered had been destroyed or changed with the passage of time. Dwarves and elves back then had been very insular, so it would be rare for him to know anyone in those groups who were still living.
Malsour guided him out of the room and into the lab as the two of them talked. Malsour gave a quick history of Emerilia, as well as informing him about the Jukal. Jung Lee asked pointed questions. It went on for some time as Jung Lee took it all in.
“And so now the Jukal are starting up that event in a few more weeks. When they do, all the creatures from the past that were sealed away will once again be unleashed onto Emerilia,” Malsour finished.
Jung Lee sat back in his seat, the tips of his fingers pressed together. “Much has changed since I’ve been gone,” Jung Lee said, a sad light to his eye but also understanding. “I thank you for all that you have done. I still do not understand this new world much but I have always been one to enjoy an adventure.” Jung Lee’s eyes crinkled as he smiled.
“Well, instead of sitting down here like a bunch of old fossils, let’s go and gets some food and I can show you Terra,” Malsour said.
“Food.” Jung’s stomach shifted. He had not needed to eat as the Affinity spirits had kept his body alive. That was not to say that he did not desire food.
Time of Change (Emerilia Book 7) Page 39