After Rodrick left, Arwin got back to work. He re-heated and split the sheet of metal apart into workable pieces, then started to think on how he would form them into armor. He ran his hands over the metal sheets, trying to feel if any of them had desires that [Stonesinger] would pick up on. To his disappointment, there was no such luck. It wasn’t a surprise, though. That’s fine. It would be weird if I got such an intense vision every single time I tried to craft anything. “I’ll be more forthright, then,” Arwin told the sheets of metal. “Do you want to be a chestpiece?” He didn’t get a response. The metal seemed largely indifferent, but it definitely wanted to be something. It wasn’t exactly a resounding round of applause, but it was the best he had to work with at the time being. Even if I can’t get Lillia the best set of armor to ever exist, even something would be better than nothing. Might as well get started with things and see where they take me. I’ve done all the diligence I can to hopefully make sure this is a high-quality piece, but something tells me it isn’t going to turn out any better than Average. Arwin set the metal back down, his forehead creased in thought. There was no answer waiting for him beyond the one that he would find when he finished the piece. He would have much preferred to have been doing this under different circumstances, but nobody could ever choose the hand the world dealt to them. The only thing anyone could ever truly have control over was the way they played their cards. I should go find Lillia and find out her thoughts. I wonder where she is. I swear Rodrick went to get her ages ago. Arwin turned away from the anvil only to find that he wasn’t alone in the room. Lillia sat against the back wall, watching him work silently. His heart nearly jumped out of his throat and Arwin coughed into his fist to hide his shock. Lillia let out a grunt that Arwin presumed to be a sound of understanding and not confusion. It might not have been the most efficient way to do things, but it was the best way he could think to let her help without letting things get too off the tracks - and he could still effectively control where the hammer fell, so there wouldn't be a risk of poor quality forging. Not any poorer than normal, at least. “Just tell me where to hit once the metal is ready,” Lillia said. Hours slipped by. It would have been a lie to claim they were the most efficient team. Beating a piece of metal to get rid of impurities was one thing. Fine shaping was another. Still, they made progress, and it felt far better than Arwin suspected it would have if he did it on his own. They eventually found themselves rewarded with a chestpiece that actually looked like it held a good amount of promise. It was thin and sleek, with so little metal in some portions that he was a little worried it would be too thin. All the vital areas had extra layers hammered in over them, giving the armor rippling waves like it was a sculpt of the ocean. It was nearly finished and was only awaiting the final touches before the Mesh could enter it. Arwin had intentionally ignored some of the Mesh’s suggestions that would have made the armor heftier and more effective – whilst also taking it farther away from what Lillia had wanted. The result seemed like it had worked but doubt still lingered in his mind. Are our changes actually going to make this better? Or is it just arrogance that I know better than the Mesh? I feel like trying to improve myself is the right strategy. There’s no way the Mesh would give me a class where I just sit and follow directions. Creating something is about doing it yourself. But, at the same time, are we just ignoring what the metal actually wants to be? “What do you think?” Arwin asked. “It looks beautiful,” Lillia said. “As nice as a lot of the armor I wore before the explosion. Maybe nicer than some. I can’t believe we made that.” “Well, let’s let it cool for a bit so you don’t get burned. I’m immune to the heat from my [Soul Flame], but you certainly aren’t,” Arwin said, setting the armor to the side. “Do you mind sitting around for a bit while I make a meal?” It hasn’t been that long since I last ate something magical, but better safe than sorry. “Yeah,” Arwin said. “A magical item to eat. Probably a bracelet.” He still had the bracelet he’d made some time ago while Zeke had watched, but its abilities were a little too useful to waste on a normal meal if he could avoid it. There was a different plan in store for that particular bracelet. “I’d love nothing more,” Lillia said, gesturing eagerly. “It’s basically cooking. Well, not really. But for you it is. Go on. I’ll watch.” She was a bit more eager than Arwin had expected, but he didn’t let that stop him. He took some other metal and set about fashioning it into a bracelet over the course of the next thirty or so minutes. His reward was an Average Quality bracelet with a [Brittle] detrimental trait, but Verdant Blaze didn’t even recognize its formation. It wasn’t a bad bracelet, but Arwin got the sinking suspicion that Awakened weapons worked the same way that people did. If it didn’t have at least some degree of challenge in forging something, the weapon wouldn’t grow stronger. It only cared about improving. Given how the Mesh worked, that really wasn’t all that much of a surprise, but it was still a mild annoyance. Arwin bit into the bracelet, making a mental note to avoid getting hit anytime in the near future. He really didn’t want to find out what [Brittle] would do to him if he got smacked. “Weird,” Lillia proclaimed.