Rise of the Living Forge

Arwin’s hammer rang against the metal, sending sparks dancing away from the anvil as he struck the glowing metal in a steady cadence. Four presences thrummed within his chest, each competing to be heard.

The more he practiced Dwarven Smithing, the more Arwin understood why Wallace referred to them as singing. It wasn’t like there were actual songs. The materials weren’t all speaking to him when he worked. What he felt was more akin to a presence. It was the underlying truth of what one what they were.

But now, as his own song overlaid with that of the metal, Wyrmhunger, and Reya, he quickly became aware that there was far more to it than he’d ever previously seen. He could have sworn he could hear distant notes of music with every step he took toward finishing the bracer.

Arwin didn’t let himself get too distracted by the semantics. Dwarven Smithing had never been about outlining ironclad guidelines and following them to the T. It was not a science. It was an art, and one that focused on feeling.

He let the songs mix within his body, tweaking and adjusting the item as he attempted to bring it closer and closer to a true harmony. Each dissonant note prickled within him like a needle being driven into his muscles.

They came fewer and farther in between the longer he worked.

Wyrmhunger was in perfect synchronization with Reya already. Their songs complemented each other with practiced ease, but they left no room for a new one to fully integrate. After all, it wasn’t the dagger’s soul that Arwin was trying to bring into the bracer.

He did his best to fit everything together, but the four pieces simply all refused to go together. There were too many insurmountable differences. And still Arwin tried. He could finally hear Reya’s soul. He refused to give up until he didn’t have a single scrap of energy left to try.

And then something strange happened.

Wyrmhunger’s voice started to silence. It came quieter with every note, but Reya’s voice remained unchanged. He could still feel her, could still direct the magic running between them and into the bracer.

The dagger had realized that its purposed had been served. It was intelligent enough to understand what they were doing and that it wasn’t needed anymore. That was… oddly terrifying. Reya didn’t seem to be entirely aware of what Arwin was doing, but the dagger did.

How intelligent is Wyrmhunger? If it can understand the other songs in the combination, then does it have some degree of understanding as to how Dwarven Smithing works?

That was a worry for another time.

As Wyrmhunger’s voice faded, the pieces of the song suddenly started to slide together. They moved so quickly that Arwin barely even had a chance to do anything. It was as if the item was practically building itself for him.

All he could do to keep up was to patch up the edges of the songs as they overlaid and harmonized, making tiny adjustments to make them fit together better — but even that work was minimal.

Reya’s magic slid past Arwin, using his own powers as guiderails, and gathered into the bracer. Gentle golden light illuminated the metal from within as Arwin continued to shape it, but every strike of his hammer was needed less than the last.

It was almost done. The smell of a fresh forest tickled his nostrils, roses and berries and distant rain. Even without looking, he could feel that the item was beautiful.

And yet something felt unfinished. A small frown pulled at the corners of Arwin’s lips. He didn’t dare pause his work, but the swing of his hammer slowed as he tried to analyze the songs filling the armor.

Finishing the bracer should have been simple enough. The Mesh had gathered all around it and had infused the item through and through. There wasn’t much to do but to step back and declare it done — but Arwin couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something.

Wait. My own song. This is meant to be a weapon that contains an imprint of Reya’s soul. I should only be the vessel, not an influence. Having my song wrapped up in everything is going to end up shifting the result away from what it should be.

Arwin had no clue how he was meant to peel his own song back, but the moment the thought brushed his head, the answer came to him. The songs were more than just a feeling or an imagined voice. They were magic itself.

And if there was one thing he could do, it was getting rid of magic.

It only took a thought. Arwin brushed his hand across the bracer, and he felt his finger catch on an invisible thread of power like it was the string of a harp. He pulled it back gently. Soft gold light materialized as a net of magic that had been woven around the now mostly formed bracer stretched taut.

Then, with a delicate movement, Arwin pulled it away and popped it into his mouth. It was delicious. He didn’t even get a chance to figure out what the flavor was before it was gone and the magic vanished back inside him.

A thrum passed through his body. The song coming from the bracer suddenly sounded brighter, more vibrant. His own song had been like the rapports covering a lovingly crafted building.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The true form of the song that made up the item had been built in conjunction with his own notes, but there was no need for them anymore. They had served their purpose. Now, all that remained was a piece of armor.

A bracer that had been made for Reya, with her powers alone remaining within it. Every other influence had been peeled back.

Arwin let his hands fall. A delighted hum filled his mind from Verdant Inferno. The hammer was beyond pleased — and a moment later, he felt energy drive into his chest.

Strands of the Mesh’s warm mist twisted and swirled all around the bracer, folding in on themselves and flowing back into the metal. It shimmered like a piece of gold left under the morning sun — and then brilliant golden letters sliced into the air above it.

The Thief’s Passing

[Soulforged]: The Thief’s Passing bears the reflection of a loyal soul. This item shares the goals and desires of its owner. It will not absorb external magic. Instead, it has taken on true life and will grow together with its one and only wielder.

[Flowing Visions]: At the cost of magical energy, the bearer of this item can enter a ghostly form and slip through non-magical walls. The amount of energy required depends on the width of the wall and the strength of The Thief’s Passing.

[That’s Mine] Gain access to an extradimensional space accessible only to body parts under the effects of [Flowing Visions]. The amount of energy required to open it depends on the duration of access. Its size will grow together with The Thief’s Passing.

Every part of The Thief’s Passing’s wielder other than the hand they wear this item upon becomes immaterial at the cost of magical energy. The amount of energy required depends on duration and the strength of The Thief’s Passing.

[Harmonious Growth]: This item feels its wielder’s goals and desires. As it grows more powerful, it will change and evolve to grow into a more perfect fit.

[Soul Weapon]: This item’s status is unreadable to all but the one who made it and the one whose soul it reflects. It is resistant to all forms of damage, both magical and physical.

“Holy shit,” Reya breathed.

Holy shit is right. This… incredible. A weapon that directly grows with Reya rather than needing kills or having competing desires. It doesn’t have the Awakened attribute. It has something more. Instead of requiring kills or other forms of magical energy, it grows directly together with Reya herself. It’s an extension of her body. The potential this has is nothing like a normal Awakened item.

In fact, the description of [Soulforged] almost makes it feel like a weapon that grows with anything that isn’t its wielder itself is…

Arwin’s eyes widened as realization slammed into him.

“Detrimental,” Arwin breathed.

Every other Awakened item I’ve ever made has been detrimental. It’s not that everything with the trait is bad. It just means that there’s something holding it back. Verdant Inferno takes a portion of energy from my kills and the weapons I craft, but this item is in perfect synchrony with Reya and will only ever help her.

“It’s got no rarity,” Arwin muttered to himself. His heart was pounding in his chest like a runaway horse and awe lingered in his words. There was no way to rate a weapon that was merely a reflection of someone’s soul. It was what it was.

He finally understood one more piece of how his talents worked — but he pulled up his status anyway. And, as he did, he realized that the description of [Awaken] had changed.

[Awaken] (Passive) – All items forged by your hand have the potential to take on a trait, determined by the harmonization of their component’s songs. The potential for the trait to be detrimental is [67%]. This potential drops to 0% if perfect harmony is reached. Materials with songs that do not easily harmonize with yours or the other materials will fight with you to exert their influence on the piece they are being made into.

“Are you seeing this, Arwin?” Reya asked, swallowing heavily. She reached for the bracer, then caught herself before she could touch the plain, unassuming looking metal.

“I’m seeing it,” Arwin said with a disbelieving laugh. This was incredible. One of the earliest questions his class had ever posed him had finally been answered. The missing link had been truly aligning every single one of his materials with each other. His visions had been a result of disharmony between components… or himself.

“Can I put it on?” Reya asked.

“It’s yours. Do what you want with it.”

She reached out for the bracer. As soon as her hand touched the metal, it flowed up around her wrist and locked itself in place as if it had always been there. Reya stared at it in awe and ran her fingers down its smooth surface.

“It feels… right. How did you make this?”

“Mostly just by letting it become what it wanted to be,” Arwin replied. He was finally starting to understand the role of a Dwarven Smith. It wasn’t to hammer materials into the shape and magic he wanted them to be.

It was to find materials that already suited his desires and to give them the outlet to become what they already desired.

It was what the Mesh already showed him how to do by letting him communicate with materials.

He’d just taken a bit too long to realize it.

“I guess I’m a bit hardheaded,” Arwin said through a sheepish laugh.

“What was that?” Reya glanced up at him. Her body rippled and she turned into a haze of blue. An instant later she reformed, blinking. “Whoa. That’s so… natural.”

“Make sure nobody sees you using it. It’s not like anyone can see the item’s properties, but we don’t want to reveal trump cards on accident.” He shook his head. “And never mind me. I just figured something out. This is exactly what we needed, Reya.”

“Really?”

Arwin nodded. “This is how I’ll make the Cores for the [Soul Guardians] as well as the armor for Olive and the Phoenix Circle.”

“You’re going to give them such powerful weapons?”

“For their case, it’ll be more like a loan,” Arwin replied, a finger tapping against his thigh as his mind whirred. He had an idea. It might have been a bit ridiculous, but it had lodged itself firmly in his mind and wasn’t going to leave. “I have an idea. I just hope there’s enough time before the tournament to pull it off.”

“What is it?”

Arwin grinned. “I’m not saying it out loud until I’m done. It’s bad luck. When tomorrow dawns, I’m going to be locking myself up for a little while. I get the feeling this might take a few tries to get right.”

His gaze drifted over to the Soul Guardian standing in the back of the armory, watching over him and Reya in wait of its Core.

It won’t be long, now. Just be patient for a few more days.

I need to make sure Olive is ready for this tournament — but don’t worry. All of this work is going to be very applicable for you.

Very applicable indeed.