Scales glowed in the flames of the hearth, heated as far as the [Soul Flame] could take them. Arwin hefted his new hammer, adjusting his grip on the haft. The rough metal wasn’t the most comfortable, and it was a good bit heavier than his previous hammer.
Sitting around and staring at the scales isn’t going to do anything, though. Only way to learn is to try.
Arwin arranged two of the scales so that they overlapped slightly, leaving them within the hearth. He then hefted his hammer, holding it near the head to avoid getting a little too much momentum in the swing and risk damaging the hearth.
Maybe I need to find a way to super-heat the surface of my anvil instead of working inside the hearth? That could work as well, but it’s a problem for a different time.
The hammer fell, striking the scales with a loud thud. Sparks flew up and a powerful vibration raced down Arwin’s arms with such force that he nearly dropped the hammer, even though he hadn’t even hit the scales that hard.
“Shit,” Arwin muttered. “Forgot that metal carries the vibrations far better than wood. That’s going to be a pain in the ass.”
Arwin activated [Scourge] and steadied his grip on the hammer before striking the scales once more. The vibrations still slammed into him like a runaway horse, but he weathered them and swung the hammer once more as they faded.
With every strike, Arwin could see the material of the scales start to meld together. It was far from perfect, but it was working. His idea had been correct – so long as he tried to forge them within the fire, they could connect.
It didn’t take long for Arwin to completely connect the two scales, but he was far from done. As soon as he’d confirmed that their material could be connected, he set about building a set of greaves.
You may select one of the following skills.
[Bleeding Heart] (Passive) – Repeated attempts to protect your allies grants all the armor you wear faint magical properties. All those you consider an ally within a set radius of yourself will receive a portion of the defenses your armor grants you, scaling based off your Tier.
[UPGRADED] [Arsenal] – You live and die on your equipment, so you might as well make it part of yourself. Bind yourself to [3] pieces of equipment, summoning and dismissing it at will. The number of equipment you can bind to scales with your Tier, up to a total of 10. Unbinding a piece of Equipment will make this skill inactive for 1 day.
[UPGRADED] [Firewrought Blow] – You have spent so much time within the flame that it has become a part of you. Spend a portion of magical energy to empower your next hammer strike, releasing a burst of Soul Flame upon impact.