Verdant Inferno sprung into Arwin’s hands the moment his foot passed through the doorway to the Infernal Armory. The weapon had summoned itself before he’d even had a chance to call for it. A part of Arwin couldn’t help but wonder just how much more intelligent — and powerful — the weapon had gotten over the past days. There had been a time where it couldn’t do anything other than send him vague desires of what it wanted. Now it could literally call itself at its own volition… and if his plans went correctly, then he was about to make it stronger. A lot stronger. Just how much, even Arwin himself wasn’t certain. He hadn’t seen what the Cores were truly capable of yet. For that matter, he hadn’t seen what he himself was now capable of. He’d gotten a lot more powerful over the past days. Arwin could still feel the heat emanating from the molten ocean of lava waiting within his soul. Between that and the new crafting techniques of imprinting someone’s soul into the item he was making for them, there was so much that Arwin wanted to test that even a month wouldn’t have been enough time to prepare. But he didn’t have a month. Arwin had three days, and so he got to work. The Infernal Armory crackled to life as he closed the door to the back room behind him. Black tendrils snaked from the walls and Arwin pulled his shirt away to ready himself. They slammed into his back, driving into his skin and connecting him to the smithy around him. Verdant Inferno hummed in excitement within his grip. It shook with such intensity that the weapon nearly ripped itself out of his hands. Arwin let out a chuckle. A slot opened in the floor beside Arwin and a pedestal rose up from within it, bearing the crumbled pieces of several green crystals. The same crystals that had gone into Verdant Inferno. Arwin blinked. “We still had some of this?” “I saved everything that you fed me. What better to make the core for Verdant Inferno than the magical gem that grants it much of its power? You already have experience working with non-metal objects. It should be viable. Would you prefer a metal instead? Our resources are getting low, but I have some.” Arwin shook his head. “No, it’s a good idea. I’ve worked with the crystals before. This should work perfectly. Good idea.” The Infernal Armory remained silent as Arwin scooped the crumbled crystals off the pedestal with one hand. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, steadying himself. Then he extended his other hand. A thick black bowl emerged from the ground before Arwin. He reached within himself. An ocean of magma laid in wait — and Arwin let its power free. The air warped in haze as burning heat bit into it. [Soul Flame] roared over his palm as black magma bubbled up. It poured down his fingers and dripped into the bowl. The veins running through the room pulsed. Energy ignited deep within them and raced through the room, growing brighter as more lava poured from Arwin’s hand and filled the bow. Arwin nearly stumbled as the room shuddered. A black vein shot from the wall and wrapped around Verdant Inferno, lifting the hammer into the air and bringing it over to float beside Arwin. It only took a flicker of a thought for him to make contact with the weapon. Unlike the other materials he’d worked with before, Verdant Inferno was ready. He didn’t have to ask it for help in making its Core. The hammer was well ahead of him. Arwin’s lips pulled up in a smile. “I’ve kept you waiting long enough, haven’t I? Let’s do this.” He reached into the lava bubbling in the bowl, scooping up a thick handful, and brought it up to his mouth. [Soul Flame] coated his features as he tipped his head back and poured the lava in. It bubbled and squirmed as his teeth ground against it. Power rolled off Arwin’s body with every movement of his jaw. Despite how soft the lava managed to look, it was like trying to eat rocks — and now that he thought about it, that was quite literally what he was doing. Fortunately, his body was magically reinforced by both the Mesh and his titles. The lava was already well connected to his soul, and every chew deepened that connection until it was little more than an extension of himself. Arwin pulled the prepared lava from his mouth and drove the materials into its depths, coating them with [Soul Flame] to protect the crystal and his hair from the immense heat. Droplets of sweat rolled down his forehead and neck as he worked. Intent from the Infernal Armory poured into him, helping keep the process stable as he worked the impurities free from the crystal. What previously would have taken him nearly an hour of effort and multiple attempts was done in mere minutes. The materials were prepared for the real work to begin. Arwin reached for Verdant Inferno’s magic. The hammer responded, thrusting power at him in a wave. He twisted the power together with his own, kneading the crystal like pizza dough as he infused it with magic. Arwin worked the crystal relentlessly. The Infernal Armory and his hammer kept him supplied with a constant source of power as he squished everything into a ball, wrapping it tightly with layers of intent. It was difficult to tell just how long. Time was something of a foreign concept within the walls of the Infernal Armory. All that mattered was his work. And while that work was difficult, Arwin was surprised to find just how naturally it came to him. Perhaps he had simply gotten stronger, but it almost felt as if the Core were making itself and his hands were just the tool it had chosen for the job. That did nothing to stop the advance of exhaustion. Arwin could feel his magical reserves draining away as he poured everything he had into the core. Verdant Inferno and the Armory were also weakening. There was only so much strength between them — but it was enough. Arwin’s heavy breaths and the crackle of [Soul Flame] broke the silence that had settled over the smithy. He held his hands out before him. A smooth, green and orange ball shimmered within his palms. It was a little larger than a marble and glistened with a burning energy like the eye of some infernal beast. Power emanated from it in waves that buzzed against Arwin’s skin like electricity.