Arwin found himself with a slightly new conundrum. He’d worked hard materials into his work before. It was pretty easy to figure out how to add in a monster tooth to an arrow or a scale to a metal band. Putting a feather into a giant plate of metal was a slightly less straightforward task. He could always hammer it in, but if he did that, he was pretty sure he’d end up with a few sad scraps of fluff rather than a feather. It wasn’t like he could ask the feather for its thoughts either. Metal he could speak to. A feather, on the other hand and according to Esmerelda’s own words, was the plainest feather of the plainest dove. It most certainly didn’t have a scrap of magical power that would enable [Stonesinger] to activate. Ah, screw it. If I can’t hammer the feather itself, maybe I’ll just try to press some metal in over it. It’s the best way to work it in that I can think of without getting mashed feather in the process. This way it’ll only be a bit burnt. A bit might have been understating quite how much hot metal would cook a feather, but that was the point of experimenting. Arwin set the feather down on the inside of the chestpiece’s front plate, then moved the whole thing off the anvil. He then set another small piece of black metal down and got to work hammering out until it was square and as thin as he dared make it. Arwin set the main armor piece back onto the anvil and held the edges of the thin piece in the hearth, heating them to a molten yellow. Biting his lower lip, Arwin lowered the piece over the top of the feather, trying to keep the heated edges away from the feather. He’d made it just large enough to fit the feather in on the less-hot center, though it had still heated from its proximity to the hearth. The feather hissed as Arwin started hammering away at the edges of the plate. Small curls of [Soul Flame] rose up from Verdant Blaze as he tapped away, doing his absolute best to avoid accidentally cooking his feather. It soon became apparent that adding a random lump to the armor might have been a good way to avoid damaging the feather too badly, but it was a rather poor move for comfort. Having something that jutted out into your chest wasn’t ideal. Arwin considered the plate for a moment, then let out a huff. Iron bands of will formed in his mind as Arwin dug deeply into his reserves. He felt a rush of fortitude spread throughout him. It wasn’t physical strength, but his thoughts sharpened and his fingers started to move faster. He was dimly aware that it was likely [Indomitable] reinforcing his thoughts against his own exhaustion. He hadn’t expected this piece of armor to be so much more difficult than the others he’d made, but he’d never made such a large piece while flooding it with this much of his own energy. Arwin swayed on his feet — and something pressed against his back and wrapped around his shoulders, propping him upright. There wasn’t time to wonder what it was. Arwin pushed the last bolts into place, leaning against the unknown presence for Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform. He shoved the final scraps of magical energy he had out from his palms and into the armor, then let his hands drop. The Mesh rushed forth and slammed into the metal chestpiece like a bolt of lightning. [Bleak Wind Chestplate: Epic Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy. Your Tier has raised by 1 rank. Achievement: [Rarer than Rare] has been earned. [Rarer than Rare] – Awarded for forging your first Epic Quality item. Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill. The world swam around Arwin even with [Indomitable] fighting to keep him awake. Only sheer force of will and shock in conjunction with his unforeseen aid kept him standing. He’d made rare items before — but Epic was an entirely new frontier for his crafting. Arwin peered down at the Bleak Wind Chestplate and information swirled forth to form into golden letters in the air before him. [Bleak Wind Chestplate: Epic Quality] [Blood Fog]: Forged from the armor of a lineage of killers for a woman who desires to do nothing but heal, this item seeks to fulfill its new owner’s desires in the only way it knows how. The Bleak Wind Chestplate can release Blood Fog at the cost of magical energy. Living beings that inhale Blood Fog that the Bleak Wind Chestplate’s bearer views as opponents will be struck with visions of all those whose deaths the Bleak Wind Chestplate can recall. The fog’s effectiveness depends on the difference in Tiers between the target and this item’s bearer. [Light as a Feather]: Though decades of blood and death weigh heavy on this armor, its physical form is greatly lightened by the gentle hands of wind bearing it aloft like a feather. [Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Anna. Its abilities will not function for any other users. [Black Shroud]: This item’s properties are concealed from others once it has been donned. [The Bleak Wind] (Locked): Whole once more, the Bleak Wind Set will permit its user to dematerialize into a gust of wind at the cost of magical energy. [Bleak Wind]: This is a set item of [6] pieces. When the entire set is worn, The Bleak Wind will be unlocked. There was no doubt in Arwin’s mind that the item lived up to its impressive Epic rarity. The final ability of the armor was incredible. An unrestricted movement ability that turned someone into wind was powerful indeed. It wasn’t like a sword could cut wind, so Anna would be functionally untouchable by physical blows as long as she had magical energy. Unfortunately, that boon wouldn’t come until Arwin managed to get the rest of the set made, but he didn’t mind. The other abilities the item gave were incredible. [Light as a Feather] would have been good enough, but [Blood Fog] and [Black Shroud] made it perfect. A delighted, weary grin pulled across Arwin’s lips. His eyes slipped over the words once more, catching for a moment on Anna’s name — or rather, the lack of it. She was just Anna in the Mesh’s eyes. Arwin’s mind was too tired to process it any further. The weariness was wrapping around his body like iron chains that pulled him down toward the floor and it was growing harder and harder to resist them. His eyes fluttered, but he fought to keep his balance with the aid of his invisible helper.