My journey to becoming a Grandmaster Armorer didn't last long. After all, there were only two sets I intended on making. And of course, they were intended for my beloved clerics.
For the Twilight Empress, I designed a suit inspired by the Polish Winged Hussar Armor. With her consultation, of course. And obviously made from the twilight-infused variants of mithral and adamantine, Stargrave, and Starscale.
A solid cuirass shielded her torso in two pieces that were to be magnetically sealed together and enchanted among the breasts to contain her bust in a static field. Being undead, no further enchantments were needed for the sake of comfort, so instead, miniature conduits akin to a circulatory system were bored through the metal alongside many additional enchantments.
The spaulders, bevors, and bracers were much the same, only being enchanted to have magnetic clasps and be connected with the same artificial nerves, veins, and arteries. And while the same was present in the rest of the armor, only the Faulds, or plates of armor that covered the hips were made of unveined Stargrave.
The rest of her was covered in a front-split, knee-high skirt made of Dust Mink coats paired with low-heeled, WWII-style cavalry boots made with Dusk Scale and brass buckles. As for the helmet, it was a Burgonet-style helm, with a magnetically attachable face-plate filled with electronics and enchantments to give her a full field of vision, augmented reality, and several other capabilities; not to mention being enchanted to 'collapse' inside the bevors for ease of removal.
The wings that cemented the design in the annals of history were similarly enchanted, not to mention being made from Stargrave, Dusk Owl feathers, and Night Ave Quills. Yet they were also enchanted with Lucia's fused affinities, Blade-Wing magic, giving them full functionality.
Being a soulless vampire, however, a workaround was needed for the final soul-binding enchantments. And for that, she offered to use her vampyric blood. And so too did she offer to use her blood for the suit's central feature.
That feature was a mechanical heart born from Starscale and Gloomstone, a twilight-infused igneous rock. After mixing unholy water from the pools of the Duskwoods with her Vampyric blood and the arcane catalyst that was unicorn blood, the now-biomechanical heart started to beat with Unholy Water, making the suit a veritable extension of herself.
No longer did she have to flow mana into her enchantments to activate the features of her armor. Like making the unconscious decision to move an arm, the suit; from the boots to the wings or helmet, would obey her thoughts. Arcane Power Armor, essentially.
However, I was not done. More enchantments and divine materials were imbued within the set to give her everything from camouflage to the ability to fly, depending on the sun's position at least.
As if that wasn't enough, I created more unholy water and created two more legendary weapons for her, making a lance and a thin, needle-like sword known as a Koncerz before I topped off her set with a final present and a small message.
'Take good care of Karu.'
Indeed, the night ave that I neglected for all these years was in better hands. That, combined with the legendary armor, Bright Night, I was certain Opal- or rather, the Mistress of the Brightest Night became an order of magnitude more lethal.
And yet still, not as lethal as Zakira, I dare claim. She had pacifistic tendencies, sure. She was a lover and not a fighter, sure. But those were often the most fearsome ones when push came to shove. And after seeing her prowess without being pushed, I was sure my bubbly vampyric partner was an agent of destruction.
Perhaps most fittingly, Zakira- the Silverskin Lady's armor was inspired by the famous suit of 'White Armor' worn by none other than Jeanne d'Arc. As such, it wasn't nearly as decorated as Opal's. Rather, its beauty was beheld by the innate shine of the lunar-imbued versions of adamantine and mithral that composed the suit.
The Moonscale, Moontear Metal, Silverstone, and Lunar Holy Water gave the armor properties that, by and large, were highly reactive with water. They gave her more control over the fluid than that found in a manipulation master and would allow her to altogether bypass the limits of her biology, making her untouchable water in its entirety.
Like Opal's armor, however, Zakira's armor beat with the drum of a biomechanical heart, pumping a mix of lunar holy water, her blood, and that of Carbury's around her frame at all times. And so too was it enchanted in every way imaginable.
Unlike Opal, though, Zakira received a garb to wear in her daily life: a simple doublet with breeches and a mantle. Just like Jeanne was said to wear.
She was happy with that. She wasn't happy with me trying to make her a new weapon though. No matter what, she didn't want to give up her mace and it took a visit to her temple and a night of 'persuading' her to even upgrade it.
Although it took quite some time, it was worth it, for the power of her mace skyrocketed after being imbued with the blessings of the Blood Moon. With that, and the Moon Maiden's Mail, I was confident that Zakira was nigh undefeatable.
I just wish she named it better.
I mean, it didn't even have mail.
But alas, that brought me to the end, of my path- for now- giving me a bittersweet feeling as I gazed upon my newest perks.
[Step 15: Grandmaster Armorer.]
[Reward: Active Skill - [Replicate.] Using Mana, you can replicate a crafted item that was not of your creation. However, even if upgraded, it will always be slightly different than the original, having adopted your unique style.]
[Reward: Active Skill - [Refine.] Using mana, you can refine any non-magical raw material to any specification you are knowledgeable of.]
[Reward: Passive Skill - [Armorers Eye.] You gain an understanding of the material you're working with when creating armor or protective wear. Weak points and discrepancies are highlighted with mana. And so too can you know the name of any clothing article you focus on.]
[Reward: Passive Skill - [Blessing of the Shop.] Your time mastering the crafts has yielded immense knowledge of your arcane craft, enabling you to work at a much greater efficiency than would otherwise be possible.]
[To continue down the path to becoming a Grandmaster Artificer, you must become familiar with the most powerful- and dangerous- craft known across all the realms. Runes. The Language of power itself. To become a Rune Decipherer, You must copy five runes and decipher their meaning.]
And therein sat my plateau.
Unless I was to scour Nonus or get lucky in Maru with the Silva Clan, I was certain that I wouldn't see even a single rune for quite some time.
But that was fine. I had plenty of things to make up until then. And plenty more paths to venture down. However, my work here was still not done. There were a few things left to do here in the Land of Artificers. So, without delay, I withdrew and dismantled the magnificent ship I gave to my first warlock.
When it was refabricated, it appeared almost exactly as it did before. It still appeared as a teardrop laid on its side. Only, hardly perceptible seams now stretched across the aft, just above the waterline and, on command, a soft purple glow could be seen from below the water.
Aside from that design change and the installation of that and a few other crystal shards, the only modification to the Moontear was a spatial enchantment that would allow it to shrink its apparent size to fit snugly inside the Moonsliver, or even Hogaz's pocket.
After the rest of the half-orc's upgraded gear was loaded on board, it was Bamfed over to him along with the packages and parcels meant for the other captains in his crew. And with that, our obligations were finally done.
Finally, we could begin tinkering to our heart's content. Thus met in the courtyards of my shop to talk over lunch. Though, little eating was done.
"I'll show you mine if you show me yours."
I couldn't help but laugh at Ed's shit-eating grin. "I already put them in place for their owners to find."
"Damn." He tutted after sinking into his seat and look over to me. "Who?"
"Opal and Zakira. But Opal first." I grinned wider. "So, unless you want to go to the Darkworld, guess you'll have to wait and see."
"Guess you'll have to wait and see then." He echoed, chortling. Then surprised me by taking out a joint and sparking it.
"What?" he looked at me just as incredulously as I looked at him. Until I raised my hands in mock surrender.
"I said nothing."
"I've been smelling this shit for over a year now." He began. "You think I wouldn't try it eventually?"
"Hey, you're your own man." I raised my hands a degree higher. But he just squinted at me, fired the joint back up, and took a few tokes.
Then, erupted in a fit of coughing.
As did I, in a fit of laughter.
"Alright." I took out my pipe after we both calmed down. "Let's talk tech."
"Yeah." He dreamily sighed and stared at the joint with even dreamier eyes. "This shit' is amazing."
"Yeah, but not everyone can use it. Like Mary," That got his attention off the smokeleaf, "and Scarlett. And every other druid who'll join us in the future."
"Yeah." He sighed again, less airily this time. "You've got a point. She refused to even wear any type of metal. She damned sure wouldn't use this." He gestured to the bike parked just across the way.
"That's why I intend to create different types of technology. For the druids, I guess we'll call it ArborTech. Although it's based on plants and stones too, not just trees."
"Interesting." He slowly nodded, then began tapping his chin.
"That said, druids can already transform into animals and goad plants into doing more or less whatever they want," I said. "More so, they can mold the earth and use the aforementioned abilities to create nigh-impenetrable groves. So, in the end, all they really need is communications technology."
"Or so you think!" he assured me with that shit-eating grin.
"Indeed," I admitted. "Regardless there's also the MagiTech we create here, be it enchanted or divine in nature. And while there are things like gravity cranes or hyperspace transit tubes being implemented here and abroad." I gestured across the realm. "So too could there enchanted or divine implants and augmentations for those with… unique physiologies."
"I see." He nodded faster. Tapped his chin faster, prompting me to add more fuel to the flames.
"On top of that, though, there's Undead Tech- NecroTech. Weapons and armor meant to be used by the undead. But it shouldn't, and won't stop there, for there is another way for the souls of Eotrom to persist after death."
He only squinted at me curiously.
"The Underworld," I explained. "It demands something at the time of one's death. The default is the soul, but truth be told, the Under can't do anything with them. It's the devils that need souls. And many souls that go simply roam the fields to be tortured by devils ad infinitum.
"When I give the command, the shadow on the body that once belonged to the soul radiates like a star. The soul ascends to that window to drag their body into the Under, allowing their soul to return to the Mortal Plane, where it is then given form through their shadow."
"So that's the whole story, huh?" he rocked back in awe. "You know, I've never really thought about it. What happens to the body then?"
"It becomes a devil. A minor one. But a devil nonetheless. And that." I pointed my pipe at him. "That is something the Under can use. As long as the mortal dies and the Under receives something to acknowledge the death, be it a body, a major portion of the body, a soul, or even a trinket that contains a portion of one's soul- like a monarch's crown, the Underworld is satisfied."
"I suppose that explains ghosts." He half laughed-half coughed as he exhaled deeply. "In that case, what happens to the crown?"
"It becomes a cursed object. And it just may find its way back to the mortal plane, given enough time." He reeled back at that. His eyes soon began to wonder about the implications.
"Regardless," I pulled him back, "we can use this to our advantage. Those marked for death, be they in Eotrom or beyond, can live on by having their bodies or a large portion of their bodies taken to the Underworld, allowing their souls to be infused into… something."
"Like… a sentient weapon?"
"Or a bust above the mantle if someone's grandma wants to watch over the house after death." I shrugged. "Whatever people can think of. But therein lies an opportunity for another type of industry. One you'd be greatly interested in."
"Do tell!"
"My Great-Grandfather's grandfather, Henry Cole, was a pirate in his day. Captain Darkblood."
"I may have heard the name." He eagerly nodded.
"He told me of the ship he used during his life. An undead or undying sea creature that would crawl along the ocean floor. According to him, parts of it had portals leading to the Shadow Realm, allowing his crew to breathe safely. Even if the air was… noisome."
His eyes trailed away as a scattered school of birds passed and held his gaze at a lingering, possibly wounded bird at the end of the formation for a moment, his finger tapping against his knee while his mind turned.
Then he turned to face me. "I think I see where you're going with this."
"From the perspective of the creatures within my world, centuries have passed since the realm was created. Many of those that I first brought there have died. Some of them were Troops of the Menagerie. Most were not. More are due to die soon, though. Or rather, creatures are always dying so long as the cycle of nature continues. But, being from Mani, none of them will decay.
"I've been harvesting a fraction of them for materials," I said solemnly. "But I'd prefer to give them new lives. I prefer to change them into undying vehicles. Living, mobile cities for the Legions. But I also want to experiment with these." I held up a jar of wise rock pebbles. Divine infused, but not deeply rooted. And returned his shit-eating grin in kind. "Remember the second pebbles I gave you all?"
"The rooted ones we'd use for our headquarters?" He took the jar from my hand and beamed wide, yelling over his shoulder. "I graciously accept this challenge!"